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ABC15’S “OPERATION SANTA CLAUS” KICKS-OFF NOV. 14

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ABC15 viewers can feed a family – make a kid happy and earn a chance to win a new vehicle!

The 19th annual “Operation Santa Claus” holiday charity drive will kick-off Nov. 14 on ABC15, and every person who contributes will have a chance to win a brand-new vehicle.

“Operation Santa Claus” is an Arizona tradition. It’s a partnership between ABC15 and Sanderson Ford to collect food, toys, clothes and monetary donations for Arizona charities.

This year’s charities are: St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance, Special Olympics Arizona, Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center (SARRC), Military Assistance Mission (MAM) and Chicanos Por La Causa (CPLC).

Operation Santa Claus runs through Dec. 18 and culminates the following day with a “human chain” of volunteers who help deliver all the collected goods to Arizona families in need.

Donation drop-off locations:
• ABC15 Studios – 515 North 44th St. in Phoenix
• Sanderson Ford – 6400 North 51st Ave. in Glendale
• Sanderson Lincoln – 2121 West Bell Rd. in Phoenix
• All of The UPS Store locations across the Valley
• Authorized Operation Santa Claus events listed at givetotheclaus.com

Online donations can also be made anytime throughout the campaign at givetotheclaus.com.

Donors who contribute five dollars or more to Operation Santa Claus will be entered to win a brand- new vehicle. Sanderson Ford and Lincoln will randomly select one lucky donor to win the choice of a new Ford F150 SuperCrew or Lincoln MKZ – luxury sedan. Fifteen finalists will also receive a $100 Visa gift card. The winner will be announced on Dec. 19 during ABC15’s Sonoran Living at 9 a.m.

ABC15 and Sanderson Ford and Lincoln are proud to partner with The UPS Store locations, Walmart, iHeartMedia, Bonneville Media, Hubbard Radio, Entercom Radio, Arizona Diamondbacks, Four Peaks Brewing and Papa Johns Pizza for this year’s drive. Among the many events taking place, Participating Metro Phoenix Walmart stores will be stuffing the sleigh on Nov. 23 from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. ABC15 and Valley radio stations will be promoting this festive opportunity to give.

ABC15 and Valley radio stations will host a Claus-A-Thon on Dec. 4 to flood the airwaves with the giving spirit. Throughout the day, ABC15 will heavily promote the need for donations on all platforms. ABC15 will have a volunteer-staffed donation phone bank from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

“It’s grown every year for the past 19 years and I’m so proud of our employees and partners working together towards the goal of hitting the one- million- dollar mark for the fifth year in a row said David Kimmerle, president of Sanderson Ford and Sanderson Lincoln. “We need to do it again. Hundreds of families throughout the Valley are counting on us. I really believe the community can and will come together to raise the bar one more time.”

“The holidays are such a special time of year and we want to give everyone a chance to enjoy them,” said Anita Helt, vice-president and general manager at ABC15. “ABC15 is proud to be part of a community project that consistently takes action to help our neighbors in need. We could not do this without our partners who willingly dig deep every year and give.”

For more information go to givetotheclaus.com.

13th Annual Super Saturday Turkey Drive

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Help St. Mary’s Reach Our Goal of Collecting 10,000 Donated Turkeys and Holiday Boxes.

The 100-degree temperatures are finally in Arizona’s rear-view mirror. This means it’s almost Turkey Time – and St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance’s Super Saturday is just around the corner!

 St. Mary’s will hold its 13th annual Super Saturday Turkey Drive, presented by Mobile Mini, on Saturday, Nov. 23 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Food Bank locations in Phoenix and Surprise as well as 28 Albertsons and Safeway locations around the Valley striving to meet the anticipated need for the 2019 holiday season.

The Food Bank distributed more than 11,000 Holiday Food Boxes in the three days leading up to Thanksgiving in 2018. Each year, hopes are that each will contain a turkey and other assorted holiday dinner items giving Arizona families the chance to enjoy the comforting tradition of a holiday meal. For more turkey distribution info click HERE.

In addition to helping reach the goal of 10,000 donated turkeys, St. Mary’s Food Bank staff and scores of volunteers will gladly accept any monetary or food donations (both perishable and non-perishable) on Super Saturday. Every dollar donated will help St. Mary’s provide seven meals for those in need during the holiday season.

Look for the giant inflatable turkey and smiling St. Mary’s volunteers ready for your visit at the following 30 Super Saturday locations around the Valley:

Interactive Map

St. Mary’s Food Bank Locations (2)

  • Del Webb: 2831 N 31st Ave, Phoenix, 85009
  • Surprise: 13050 W Elm St., Surprise, 85378

Albertson’s Locations (11)

  • 5040 W Cactus Rd, Glendale AZ 85304 (51st Avenue and Cactus)
  • 8035 N 19th Ave, Phoenix AZ 85021 (19th Avenue and Northern)
  • 2785 N Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale AZ 85257 (Thomas and Scottsdale Rd)
  • 11475 E Via Linda, Scottsdale, AZ 85259 (Via Linda and Frank Lloyd Wright)
  • 6965 N Hayden Rd, Scottsdale AZ 85250 (Indian Bend and Hayden)
  • 8950 W Bell Rd, Peoria AZ 85382 (91st Avenue and Bell Road)
  • 18411 N Cave Creek Rd, Phoenix AZ 85032 (Cave Creek and Union Hills)
  • 8240 W Deer Valley Rd, Peoria, AZ 85382 (83rd Avenue and Deer Valley)
  • 3130 W Carefree Hwy, Phoenix AZ 85086 (Carefree Highway and the I-17)
  • 21001 N Tatum Blvd, Phoenix AZ 85050 (Tatum and Deer Valley)
  • 12970 W Indian School Rd, Litchfield Park, AZ 85340 (Indian School and Dysart Road)

Safeway Locations (17)

  • 520 W Osborn Rd, Phoenix AZ 85013 (7th Ave and Osborn)
  • 3800 West Happy Valley Road, Glendale, 85310
  • 14696 N Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd, Scottsdale, AZ 85260 (FLW and Raintree)
  • 4747 E Elliot Rd, Phoenix AZ 85044 (48th and Elliot)
  • 4005 E Chandler Blvd, Phoenix AZ 85044 (40th St and Chandler Blvd)
  • 4747 E Greenway Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85032 (Tatum and Greenway)
  • 1500 E Cedar Ave, Flagstaff AZ 86001 (Not using SMFBA Resources)
  • 23565 N Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale AZ 85255 (Pinnacle Peak and Scottsdale)
  • 20901 N Pima Rd, Scottsdale AZ 85255 (Pima and Thompson Peak)
  • 6501 E Greenway Pkwy, Scottsdale AZ 85254 (64th St and Greenway)
  • 13440 N 7th St, Phoenix AZ 85022 (7th St and Thunderbird)
  • 10773 N Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale AZ 85254 (Scottsdale Rd and Shea)
  • 3132 E Camelback Rd, Phoenix AZ 85016 (32nd St and Camelback)
  • 13503 Camino del Sol, Sun City West AZ 85375 (Camino del Sol and NRH Johnson Blvd)
  • 4750 E Indian School Rd, Phoenix AZ 85018 (Indian School and Arcadia Dr)
  • 10641 W Olive Ave, Peoria, AZ 85345 (107th Ave and Olive)
  • 3655 W Anthem Way, Anthem, AZ 85086 (Anthem Way and I-17 Freeway)

St. Mary’s Food Bank Kicks Off 52nd Year of Feeding AZ With Hunger Action Month 2019

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“GO ORANGE,” AND TAKE ACTION IN SEPTEMBER WITH OUR 30 WAYS IN 30 DAYS TO HELP THOSE IN NEED AND SUPPORT THE FIGHT AGAINST HUNGER

 Phoenix – The World’s First Food Bank celebrates its 52nd year feeding Arizona’s hungry in 2019-20 and will kick things off in September by raising awareness and encouraging the public to make a special effort to help those in need during Hunger Action Month.

  One in six Arizonans struggle with hunger each day of the year. One in four Arizona children in our state aren’t getting three meals a day. But these numbers can change if we all take action, support St. Mary’s and earn some great benefits for yourself in the process.

  How can you help? St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance’s “30 Ways in 30 Days” Hunger Action Month calendar, presented by Fry’s Food Stores, provides an action or activity for every day in September so all Arizonans can step forward and help those struggling with food insecurity.

 It can be as simple as making a cup of coffee or a brown-bag lunch at home and donating what you would have spent that day to help the hungry – every dollar donated will allow St. Mary’s to distribute enough food for SEVEN meals. Or you can take advantage of many ways to donate time, food or funds alongside some of the many local businesses who have stepped up during Hunger Action Month.

 “Hunger Action Month is a great way for everyone to find their favorite way to fight hunger,” St. Mary’s President and CEO Tom Kertis said. “We thank all of the businesses and organizations who are taking part and a special thank you Fry’s as our 2019 calendar presenter.”

Some of the great events planned for the month include:

 

  • West Valley Nothing Bundt Cakes locations will donate 100 percent of all money spent at their stores on Tuesday, Sept. 17 to the food bank with a goal of providing 100,000 meals for St. Mary’s.
  • Donate your change or make a special gift at the register at any Safeway or Albertsons location during the 3TV Battle Against Childhood Hunger all during September.
  • Enjoy a day of fun at Castles N’ Coasters on Sunday Sept. 29. A donation of 10 canned food items per person (canned fruits and vegetables and peanut butter ONLY) earns entrance and access to all the rides for just $10! That’s the lowest price all year, so get ready to take advantage!
  • Makutu’s Island in Chandler will be offering free admission for an entire week (Sept. 23-27) with a donation of 10 cans of food to St. Mary’s.

Others are helping raise awareness by using Orange – the color of hunger – to remind everyone of those in need.

 

  • Arizona’s tallest building, the 483-foot Chase Tower, will glow orange every Wednesday night during September and on GO ORANGE DAY, Thursday, Sept. 12.
  • To celebrate national “Go Orange Day” on Thursday Sept. 12, Arizona politicians and TV news personalities will mark the day by wearing orange clothing. Dozens of volunteers from US Foods, clad in orange shirts, will be packing food boxes at St. Mary’s.

There are many other ways to help and many other companies and groups holding events or volunteering their time during Hunger Action Month. Log on to stmarysfoodbank.org for a full calendar of “30 Ways in 30 Days” activities. Click on each calendar square to read about that day’s event. Pick out the ones that appeal to you – or better yet, come up with your own idea to help and let us know what you’re up to on Facebook or Twitter  so we can help spotlight your efforts!

 

Walmart, Sam’s Club and St. Mary’s Food Bank Kick-Off 2019 “Fight Hunger. Spark Change” Campaign

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Last year’s Campaign Raised More Than $240,000 for St. Mary’s Food Bank

One in eight Americans and one in seven Arizonans struggle with hunger.

To raise awareness and combat the issue, Walmart, Sam’s Club, Feeding America® and St. Mary’s Food Bank are kicking off its sixth annual nationwide “Fight Hunger. Spark Change.” (FHSC) campaign, which will run from April 22 to May 20.

Last year, the FHSC Campaign resulted in a donation of 1.67 million meals to St. Mary’s, helping the food bank pay for important client programs including the Mobile Pantry Program, which drops food into more than 40 of the more impoverished areas of the state, giving surrounding residents access to more supplemental food for their families.

Walmart volunteers will team with St. Mary’s and neighborhood volunteers to distribute Mobile Pantry food to clients on Thursday, April 25 at the Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church (1401 East Jefferson Street in Phoenix) from 9-11 a.m.

More than 200 families receive food from this mobile pantry site twice a month and represents how “Fight Hunger, Spark Change” impacts the hungry all over the country.

Walmart and Sam’s Club now invite Arizona shoppers to help fight hunger in their local community. There are three ways to participate – purchasing a participating item in-store or online, donating in-store or donating on Feeding America’s website.

With 749 million meals achieved over the last five years, Arizona customers and members can help the Feeding America network secure its 1 billion cumulative meals goal in three ways. They can track the number of meals by visiting www.walmart.com/fighthunger.

  • For every participating product purchased at U.S. Walmart stores, Sam’s Clubs or on Walmart.com during the campaign, the supplier will donate the monetary equivalent of at least one meal ($0.10) on behalf of a Feeding America member food bank, up to applicable limits.
  • Donate money to your local Feeding America food bank at participating Sam’s Club and Walmart stores in the U.S.
  • Donate at feedingamerica.org/Walmart.

Walmart kick-started the campaign with a $3 million donation to Feeding America and member food banks including St. Mary’s A purchase of one of the 267 participating items helps secure the equivalent of one meal. Each Walmart and Sam’s Club will partner with at least one Feeding America local food bank, and the 18 participating suppliers include: Bush Brothers, Campbell’s, Conagra Brands, Cliff Bar, General Mills, Gold Peak Tea, Great Value, Hidden Valley, JM Smucker, Kellogg, Kraft Heinz, McCormick, Motts, PepsiCo, Post, Uncle Ben’s, Nature Nate’s Honey and Unilever.

“In addition to the millions of pounds of food that Walmart and Sam’s Clubs in Arizona have donated to us, proceeds from the FHSC campaign helps fund some of our most successful client programs,” St. Mary’s Food Bank President and CEO Tom Kertis said. “We thank Walmart for their great support and invite everyone to take part in this easy and effective way to make a difference.”

“As we go into our sixth year of the ‘Fight Hunger. Spark Change.’ campaign, it’s exciting to approach the 1 billion mark in terms of charitable meals secured for Feeding America over the life of the program,” said Kathleen McLaughlin, chief sustainability officer for Walmart. “Food insecurity continues to affect communities across the United States. Working with Feeding America, our customers, members, associates and suppliers, Walmart and Sam’s Club aim to be part of the solution.”

To learn more about the campaign visit www.walmart.com/fighthunger.

27th ANNUAL NALC FOOD DRIVE HELD ON SATURDAY, MAY 11th

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Drive Collected More Than Two Million Pounds of Food in Arizona;

Benefits St. Mary’s Food Bank, & Many Other Food Banks around the State.

The largest single-day food drive in the United States – one which helps St. Mary’s Food Bank and other Arizona Food Banks stocked during the long, hot summer – turns 27 years old in 2019.

And it all takes place at your mailbox.

On Saturday, May 11th, over 230,000 letter carriers nationwide, including over 5,000 here in Arizona will be picking up canned food donations on their regular mail routes during the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) “Stamp out Hunger” Food Drive.

This drive began right here in Arizona more than 40 years ago.  In 1976, Phoenix land Glendale letter carriers from NALC Branch 576 began picking up food donations in their own pickup trucks for St. Mary’s Food Bank. That soon evolved into a national effort that has collected more than a 1.5 billion pounds over the last 24 years for Americans suffering from food insecurity. More than 70 million pounds nationwide was collected in 2018.

Throughout the week leading up to the food drive, local letter carriers will be dropping off reminder post cards and special grocery bags to both city and rural residents’ mailboxes. The letter carriers encourage those who can help to fill the bags, or any other grocery bag, with nonperishable food items and leave them by their mailboxes on the morning of Saturday May 11th. Your letter carrier will do the rest, making sure the food gets to the one in five Arizonans – and one in four children – dealing with hunger issues in our state.

The hot summer months are almost here in Arizona. Food demand increases with children out of school, while donations dwindle with many residents escaping to cooler climates. With 24 percent of Arizona children living in poverty, and tough economic times challenging the community further, Arizona Food Banks rely on “Stamp Out Hunger” to provide that much-needed influx of food. St. Mary’s distributes more than 40,000 emergency food boxes each month, as well as stocking the 600-plus agency partners it serves.

Items most needed by the food banks include canned fruit and vegetables, soups and meals in a can, pasta, peanut butter, tuna, rice and cereal.

For more information on this event, visit www.helpstampouthunger.com.

St. Mary’s Food Bank In Need Of Fruits And Vegetables

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AFTER COLD WEATHER LEADS TO SHORTENED GROWING SEASON IN SOUTHERN ARIZONA — ST. MARY’S IS CALLING FOR DONATIONS

The cold Arizona winter has led to a shorter and less abundant growing season in Southern Arizona, severely impacting donations made to St. Mary’s Food Bank in February and now March  of 2019. In some cases the donations are down by as much as 50 percent. That equates to nearly TWO MILLION pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables.

St. Mary’s relies on these donations to provide our clients and partners with a well-balanced and nutritious balance of healthy foods. The food bank has been forced to purchase some of the foods that are normally donated in abundance this time of year to keep up with demand.

St. Mary’s is asking the public to please help the Food Bank through this challenging time in one of two ways.

  1. Donations of canned fruits and vegetables would be greatly appreciated. You can donate at the Food Bank locations in Phoenix 2831 N. 31st Avenue), Surprise (13050 West Elm Street) or at any Goodwill location – there are food donation boxes at the front of each store.
  2. If folks are still looking for a place to donate the oranges they still have on backyard trees, the Food Bank would gladly accept those donations at the Phoenix and Surprise locations. We have received a LOT of  grapefruit in the past few weeks – so we are specifically looking for oranges at this time.

2018 Citizen of the Year – Hector Carillo

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Presented in recognition for his selfless acts on October 2, 2018 when he saved the life of a trapped and badly injured driver in a vehicle accident. Mr. Carillo’s action during this tragic event demonstrates character and integrity.

On that October morning, Mr. Carillo demonstrated a truly fearless act. A vehicle attempted to maneuver an illegal pass of another vehicle in a no-passing zone. The vehicle collided head-on with Mr. Carillo’s tractor-trailer resulting in heavy damage to the passenger vehicle and reckless driver. Mr. Carillo immediately determined the injured driver was pinned inside and the vehicle’s engine was on fire. Mr Carillo moved the tractor-trailer off the vehicle, retrieved his fire extinguisher and successfully put the fire out before emergency and fire personnel arrived.

Often members of the public step up to assist others with no regard to their own safety and deserve recognition. Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office is extremely proud to extend this formal Award in recognition of Hectors selfless acts in Yavapai County.

St. Mary’s Food Bank Will Hold Special Mobile Pantry For TSA Workers Affected By Shutdown January 14th

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PHOENIX – As the government shutdown enters its third week, federal workers and their families subject to furloughs and working without pay have started to feel the effects at home.

St. Mary’s Food Bank has seen a sharp uptick in the number of families reaching out for help and is stepping up its response by bringing food directly to the affected communities.

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees are currently working their normal shifts without pay. To help the TSA families feeling the financial pinch, St. Mary’s will hold a special Mobile Pantry Distribution at the TSA Offices at Gateway Tower (410 North 44th Street, just north of Van Buren Street). St. Mary’s will be providing a balanced and nutritious array of foods for TSA workers to take home.

“No matter what your opinions are about the issues surrounding the shutdown, we can all agree that federal employees and their families are caught in the middle. We want to make sure they know we are here for them and ready to help,” St. Mary’s Food Bank President and CEO Tom Kertis said. “With the shutdown extended into a third week we felt it was time to step up our response. TSA workers are staying on the job without a paycheck. We hope we can provide some food for their families and eliminate one concern during a difficult time.”

Information For Families Affected By The Partial Government Shutdown

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With the partial Federal Government Shutdown now entering a third week and Arizona families missing paychecks as a result, St. Mary’s Food Bank is here to provide help to those who suddenly find themselves in in need of emergency food.

For those who have never been to the food bank and are unsure of the process, it Is a simple one. St. Mary’s has more than 500 agency partner locations in the state and one is likely in your neighborhood. You can visit our main locations in Phoenix (3131 West Thomas Road) or Surprise (13050 West Elm Street) for immediate food assistance and information on the closest agency partner near your home to receive food.

You can also call St. Mary’s Food Bank at (602) 242-FOOD or visit our website at stmarysfoodbank.org for more information on receiving food during this difficult time.

This week, St. Mary’s sent 150 emergency food boxes and other assorted staple food items to the Grand Canyon to assist families who work at the park and have been furloughed during the shutdown.

Our Goal Is To Provide More Than 11,000 Turkeys At the Annual Holiday Distribution

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With Thanksgiving now just 17 days away, St. Mary’s Food Bank is more than 7,500 turkeys shy of its goal for its 25th annual Holiday Food Distribution that serves more than 11,000 families.  

Of particular concern is that total is more than 1,000 turkeys behind the pace of last year, when the food bank was able to meet its goal a few days before the distribution.

“Thanksgiving comes very early this year – on the 22nd of November – and that combined with a slow start to donations makes for a concerning situation with so little time to reach our goal,” St. Mary’s Director of Media Relations Jerry Brown said. “If you have supported this incredible effort in the past we ask that you remember those in need and donate a turkey to ensure Arizona families will be able to have the comfort of a traditional Thanksgiving meal with their loved ones.”

St. Mary’s is accepting donations at its locations in Phoenix (2831 N. 31st Avenue) and Surprise (13050 West Elm Street) Monday through Friday from 8 am to 4 pm and volunteers will be at 30 Albertsons and Safeway locations for the annual Super Saturday Turkey Drive on Saturday, November 17 to collect your donations of food and funds.

For a map of locations click HERE