The Walden Community Council and the Walden Woman’s Club, in honor of their late member June Garcia, will collaborate with Inspire, a local nonprofit organization, throughout January to collect new pajamas for children in need across Orange County.

Garcia, who passed away last November, was a Walden resident who volunteered for various local organizations and poured her heart into serving the community.

“She was the kindest person you would ever know, she did anything for you. She was involved in every aspect of the community,” said Mary Ann Landolina, a former Walden resident who worked with Garcia. “If you needed something she would bake for you, she would cook for you. She was always so kind.”

Aside from her work with the Walden Community Council and Walden’s Women’s Club, Garcia was a member of Sunshine Society, a program in which she and other participants would welcome new residents into the village with refreshments and smiles.

“If you were new in the neighborhood, they would get together and bring a fruit basket or a basket of food, introduce themselves, give you pamphlets on what organizations and what activities were going on in the village,” Landolina said.

Garcia was a teacher for the Wallkill Central School District and absolutely loved her job. She was an avid supporter of local Girl Scout troops and adored volunteering for the Little Miss Walden Pageant, an annual contest held during the Walden Harvest Festival.

“We used to have a Little Miss Walden contest, and June and I worked very close with that. She just loved the little girls and the contest itself, she put a lot of effort into that,” Landolina said. “She loved to come to the rehearsals and watch the kids rehearse, and she took pride when they won. She wanted to make sure that their names were all recognized.”

Garcia was also a member of the Most Precious Blood Parish, a founding member of the Walden Farmers’ Market and the last surviving founder of the Historical Society of Walden and the Wallkill Valley. One of her favorite nonprofits was Inspire, previously known as the Orange County Cerebral Palsy Association, which provides education and services to individuals with disabilities. This year marks Inspire’s 16th pajama drive.

“She was a great humanitarian, she affected everyone around her because she was very involved,” Landolina said. “She made everyone feel needed, wanted and loved.”

Interested in donating pajamas to Inspire? Walden residents can drop off pajamas at the Josephine Louise Public Library in Municipal Square or Millspaugh Furniture on Main Street. Inspire’s other drop-off locations include its administrative office at 100 Egbertson Road in Campbell Hall, its preschool at 2 Fletcher Street in Goshen, its preschool at 45 Gilbert Street in Monroe and its preschool at 344 Gidney Avenue in Newburgh. Inspire is accepting only new pajamas for children between the ages of newborn and 18 for all seasons.

For more information, contact Inspire at (845) 614-5975 ext. 101 or visit its website at inspirecp.org.