Hundreds of items were both donated and given away during the first Tamaqua Volunteers Free Community Monthly Giveaway held Sunday in Tamaqua.

More than 70 Tamaqua residents could be seen surrounding rows and rows of items, consisting of appliances, furniture, clothing, tools, toys, kitchen supplies and more.The giveaway, which was held at the M & M Self Storage next to Schickram's Car Wash on Rose Street, was moved from Saturday to Sunday due to a chance of rain."Despite a weather delay, the event was a great success," said Andy Leibenguth, event organizer. "I plan on holding this event every fourth Saturday of the month, excluding cold months."The next event, organized by volunteers with the Tamaqua Volunteers group, is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 25.Donations can be dropped off between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. the day of the event."I am looking for donations of furniture, appliances, clothing and anything else that has a usable value," Leibenguth added,Currently, the giveaway is only offered to Tamaqua residents. Any Tamaqua resident wanting to receive donations is encouraged to be there by 9 a.m. for the donation giveaway scheduled for 9:15 a.m.All items will then be given free to Tamaqua residents via a simple lottery-style drawing.Any form of state or legal identification is accepted to receive donations.In case of rain or chance of rain, the next drop-off and giveaway will be moved to Sunday, Aug. 26.Volunteers gave a special thank you to Thorn's Cycles for donating the use of the storage area for the event.For more information, view the event on Facebook, look for posted signs, watch for it in the newspaper or call Leibenguth at (570) 668-1234."The giveaway isn't limited to low income residents," added Leibenguth. "Every Tamaqua resident can take advantage of this free monthly giveaway."