Good Morning Arizona

On Friday, February 25, Channel 3's "Good Morning Arizona" morning program hosted a "Garage Sale" benefiting St Mary's in the parking lot of their studio on 7th Avenue. Sellers from all over the community brought their goods to the TV Station, manned their tables and the money they earned for the items sold was contributed to the food bank. Brad Perry, Channel 3's roving reporter and morning weather man, promoted the garage sale throughout the show from 5 to 9 AM. It was not only a great fund raising event, generating over $1,100 in donations, but it also continued to give St Mary's and our mission much needed media exposure. It is very important for us to continue to create awareness of the hunger issue within our community. It is an issue which can easily be forgotten and these kinds of media opportunities are critical in keeping the public informed about the year-round challenge St Mary's faces in serving the hungry in Arizona.

Rotary International & America's Second Harvest

Last week I had the opportunity to be involved in a very unique experience. Rotary International was conducting a week long training program for their District Governor's who were soon to take office in their respective districts all over the world. Imagine 600 individuals coming together from every corner of the globe for this training program.

Rotary International, having just celebrated our 100th Birthday, is focused on serving both the communities where the local club is based and reaching out internationally to address the needs of improving communities all over the world.

The America's Second Harvest Food Bank based in the city of Orange, California hosted a day of service for the Rotarians. Picture 600 Rotarians descending on the food bank charged with the job of assembling 3,000 emergency food boxes in about 4 hours. The food used to create the boxes was also donated by Rotary International. It was an incredible experience. While there were language barriers, the smiles and team work of the group got the job done.

Ending Hunger....Changing Lives Tours

We continue to conduct our "Ending Hunger....Changing Lives" tours of St Mary's on a weekly basis. These tours are designed to introduce folks to the issue of hunger in our community and the role St Mary's plays in addressing the need. The response we have gotten to the tours has been tremendous. Those who have participated make comments like, "I had no idea the hunger issue was so significant right here in Arizona" and "I am amazed at the size and scale of St Mary's, including the amount of food being put into the community on a daily basis". Almost, without exception, the individuals who have been exposed to the food bank through one of our tours ask how they can get involved. Opportunities to get involved include everything from volunteering to sort food to sponsoring a week's worth of Emergency Baby Boxes. Based on the interests of the individual, the time they have available, their willingness to open additional doors through their personal connections, the skills and expertise they are willing to share or the other resources they have access to.......the opportunities are almost endless.

If you know someone who might be interested in learning more about the hunger issue please contact me to schedule a visit to the food bank.

Paul Barnes' Farewell

Last week the staff at the food bank held a final send-off party for Paul Barnes. Although he officially retired January 1, 2004, he had stayed in place as Executive Director Emeritus in a consulting role, supporting my transition into the food banking industry. Paul had spent the last 11 years reshaping St Mary's into one of the finest most respected food banks in the country. His style and approach enabled the food bank to develop its employees in order to continue meeting the growing need of the hungry in our community. I really appreciate the mentoring time I have had with Paul over the last 14 months and wish he and Barbara all the best. They have lots of travel plans in the near future which I'm sure will keep them very busy.