Nancy McCluskey-Moore
On Saturday, March 17 SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) volunteers will be gathering donations of food and money to support the Tri-Community Food Bank (TCFB) based in Mammoth. Please leave bagged food donations on your curb by 8:30 a.m. They will be collected by Volunteer Unit Captains and taken to the MountainView Clubhouse for sorting and transport to TCFB.
If you prefer to make a monetary donation, please make out a check to SBCO and write “food drive” on the memo line. You can either attach the check to your food bag or mail/deliver it to SBCO, 63675 E. SaddleBrooke Blvd., Ste. L, Tucson, AZ 85739. It’s worth noting that a cash donation of $1 allows TCFB to purchase about $7 worth of food due to its bulk purchasing power.
TCFB serves needy families living in Mammoth, San Manuel and Oracle as far north as Aravaipa. Our community’s donations help provide monthly emergency food boxes to 338 households (1,092 people). All monetary contributions go directly to grocery purchases and related expenses. Like SBCO, TCFB is an all-volunteer organization and is an IRS 501(c)3 and AZ non-profit charitable organization.
TCFB meets a real need in the Tri-Community area, where 20 percent of households live below the poverty level and 10 percent are below 50 percent of the poverty level. It’s hard to provide food for your family, keep a roof over your head and buy gas to drive to your job if you don’t earn enough to cover all these daily living expenses. There are no grocery stores in these towns.
Your unit’s food drive captain will distribute a flyer containing more detailed information about the drive, but if you would like to volunteer to assist with the drive, please contact Andrea Stephens at 818-9306 or send an email to [email protected].