Fred was born January 29, 1942 in East Prussia. His father died in the WWII battle of Stalingrad, and so in 1951 Fred, his older brother, Rudy, and mother, Lydia, immigrated to Los Angeles to live with an aunt. There Fred enrolled in school, learning English by immersion. Three years later, Lydia remarried, and they moved to Orange County. Fred graduated from Western High School in Anaheim in 1960, and then went on to Biola College in La Mirada, California to earn his BA Degree. During this time, Fred also served as part-time Youth Pastor at his home church, Magnolia Baptist in Anaheim, where he met Kathy. After Fred and Kathy were married in 1965, they moved to Sioux Falls, SD, where he completed an MDiv. Degree in Biblical Studies at the North American Baptist Seminary.

The pressing issue of rising inflation is affecting the Emergency Food Bank and the nonprofit sector as a whole. As inflation rates reach unprecedented levels, many charitable organizations
including the Food Bank are experiencing a significant decrease in monetary donations, jeopardizing our ability to provide essential services to those in need.

San Joaquin County Mosquito and Vector Control District’s (District) mosquito-borne disease surveillance started a full trapping schedule this week. Starting this week, District personnel are placing sixty-five carbon dioxide-baited traps throughout San Joaquin County. Collected weekly, these strategic locations give the District a strong representative sample of the mosquito population, species activity, and mosquito-borne disease. With this data, when deemed necessary, the District increases mosquito control in any identified area, working to reduce the risk of mosquito-borne illness and protecting public health.

San Joaquin Delta College trustees have chosen Dr. Armando Valerio, a physical therapist who is active in many community organizations and causes, to serve on Delta’s governing board.

Visionary Home Builders of California, Inc. (VHB), Stockton’s leading non-profit affordable housing developer, received the Residential Development Blueprint Award from the San Joaquin Valley Regional Planning Agencies and the Central California Chapter of the American Planning Association for their newest affordable housing community - Grand View Village– located at Miner and San Joaquin Streets in downtown Stockton, California.

A groundbreaking ceremony will be held at the oldest and largest park in South Stockton – McKinley Park – on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, at 3:00 p.m. All members of the community are encouraged to join the celebration, which will be held near the pool house at McKinley Park, located at 2332 S. El Dorado Street. All members of the community are welcome and encouraged to participate.

The City of Stockton is addressing the accumulation of trash in our local waterways with a new workboat specifically designed to remove debris and certain invasive vegetation from the water. To tackle the problem, the City is launching the McLeod Lake Cleanup Program with the dedication of a new workboat to assist with cleanup in McLeod Lake and the downtown channels.

Stockton and San Joaquin County will celebrate its 35th Earth Day Festival on Sunday, April 21,from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Victory Park behind Haggin Museum. “Choose Planet over Plastics” is the theme of this area’s premier environmental event and will focus on educating local residents in taking care of our environment by sharing best practices of “choosing our planet over plastics”. Over 70 vendors will participate, including some great healthy food fare, including vegetarian and vegan options. It is a fun day for kids and families, and admission is free.

Get into the spirit of Italy at Festa Italiana! Sunday, June 9th from 10:00am to 4:00pm at the Lodi Grape Festival Grounds. This grand event brings the community together with the finest food, activities and entertainment of the Italian culture.

California Association Directors of Activities (CADA) presented Patty Judge, Executive Director and President of the Aaron Judge ALL RISE Foundation, with the 2024 Harry Bettencourt Award. The award was presented on March 8, 2024, at the Annual CADA State Convention held in Reno, Nevada.