It’s a tradition that began with a handful of schoolchildren each carrying a stick and potato back in 1883. Now Donation Day has morphed into hundreds of kids with cans of food marching through the town. The Grass Valley Ladies Relief Society has continued the tradition, and this year’s parade is Friday. Pamela Meek with the Ladies Relief Society says the parade will start at 10am at Grass Valley Charter School on South Auburn Street…

They’ll march down Mill and Main Streets, and then back to Grass Valley Charter where the kids will drop off their donations. They’ll also gladly collect some from parade watchers. Meek says in addition to helping needy families, it also creates a memory the children will have for the rest of their lives…

Grass Valley Charter used to be known as Hennessey School, and was the place where the original parade began. Downtown streets will be closed to automobile traffic for a little over an hour, starting around 9:30, so be aware of that if you might be driving downtown.

–gf