Brunner

A York City activist is asking medical professionals -- anyone from foot doctors to pediatricians to dentists -- to volunteer their time at an upcoming charity giveaway.

Bobby Brunner founded Neighbors Helping Neighbors in 2009, and the group has been collecting donations and distributing them to the underprivileged ever since. The next giveaway will be the biggest yet, Brunner said.

To meet the needs of the folks he aims to help, Brunner said he is hoping more medical professionals will donate their services for a few hours next month. At past events, doctors have volunteered to perform blood-pressure screenings for adults and lead-poisoning tests for children.

"The people need everything," he said.

Brunner said he expects as many as 5,000 people to attend the event, which is scheduled for noon to 4 p.m. Satur-

day, Aug. 4 at the Jefferson Resource Center, 501 N. Pershing Ave.

Neighbors Helping Neighbors got its start after a fire displaced 61 families from their homes on Chestnut Street. The group has grown and recently gained nonprofit status.

At the giveaways, which are scheduled every few months, the group distributes donated food, furniture, cleaning supplies, children's toys and other household goods to anyone who shows up.

This time around, Brunner said, local hotels have come through with several hundred dressers and night stands. There's also a healthy stockpile of baby and pregnancy supplies, he said.

To donate or volunteer, contact Brunner at (717) 434-7656.

-- Erin James may also be reached at ejames@yorkdispatch.com.