Wasco State Prison to help fund fireworks show

The Wasco State Prison has helped fund the city's July fireworks show for several years and this year's fundraiser will be on Wednesday, July 7.

The prison's next fundraiser will be at Panda Express on Highway 46 in Wasco from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. If anyone comes in to order on that day,

they must mention Wasco State Prison when placing their order and the money from that sale will go directly toward the fundraiser.

Correctional Food Manager II Louis Rodriguez is in charge of the fundraising committee and Correctional Lieutenant, Assistant Correctional

Public Information Officer Joshua Farley oversees the fundraising committee.

The committee is also involved in Wreaths across America, Links for Life, Wasco schools, VFW, Veterans Run and Kern County's Portrait of a

Warrior. The committee donates four $500 scholarships to staff children headed to college. "We are going through the application

process right now," Farley said.

Farley said teachers at the schools are able to log onto the prison website and locate the app to view portraits of Kern County warriors.

"We do a lot of food fundraising," Rodriguez said. "We'll grill, barbecue, grilled bacon-wrapped hot dogs and other foods to sell at the prison and to

the public."

"We also do a staff appreciation luncheon," Rodriguez added. "We feed close to 1,500 staff members."