Front Porch: Therapeutic horse riding center accepting students

Published 6:43 pm Sunday, November 20, 2011

The Whidbey Island-based nonprofit HOPE Therapeutic Riding Center is accepting students for the winter quarter.

The center provides horseback riding lessons for children and adults with disabilities and other challenges.

Specially trained instructors design lessons to meet the needs of individual students.

The winter quarter runs for eight weeks starting Jan. 9. Training takes place in Coupeville.

Registration deadline is Nov. 28 for current students and Dec. 5 for new students. The cost is $240, plus an extra $30 charge for new students.

Some scholarships are available to help cover fees for eligible students.

For more information, call 360-221-7656.

Food bank needs donations: With the holidays coming up, Sky Valley Food Bank is asking the community for help.

If your organization or school would like to host a food drive, the food bank can provide information packets and donation bins.

Monetary donations also are needed. Donations can be mailed to Sky Valley Food Bank, P.O. Box 724, Monroe, WA 98272, or dropped off at 233 Sky River Parkway in Monroe.

Last year, the food bank provided Thanksgiving meals to more than 400 families and Christmas toys to about 700 children.

Shop and eat: A Christmas Bazaar and Cookie Walk is planned for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Mukilteo Presbyterian Church, 4514 84th St. SW in Mukilteo. Cookies will be sold for $6 per pound.