Teri Sellers, Kare Bears Programs Director
Last year, the Kare Bears joined forces with the PebbleCreek Rotary Club to sponsor a community-wide food drive for the Agua Fria Food Bank. That food drive was very successful and helped many people.
This year was different. The food drive was scheduled to start on April 13 and run through April 24, but COVID-19 struck before we were able to launch. The virus did more than close down all PebbleCreek facilities and events, it took the jobs and paychecks of thousands of Southwest Valley people. With no income and no food, many turned to the Agua Fria Food Bank.
A decision was made to start the food drive early. April 1 through April 15 was the hard push with daily posts on the e-group with the food drive continuing April 16 through April 24. Food collection boxes were set up at Kare Bear House at 15383 W. Cheery Lynn Rd. during regular business hours.
We asked you to clean out your pantry and donate that extra food and you did!
We asked you to stop at the store and pick up some extra food and you did!
Even though going to the store was a challenge, you did it!
Each day at least one of those large boxes were filled with non-perishable packaged and canned food. Cases of water were stacked on the floor next to the food boxes.
Rotary members stopped at Kare Bear House at 9 a.m. each morning to pick up those donations and deliver them directly to those in need at the Agua Fria Food Bank. They have had to load an average of 150 pounds of food and water daily in the back of their SUVs or the trunk of their car. Just think of how much was donated and how much it meant. By the end of our food drive, we are estimating that approximately 3,000 pounds of food will be donated.
That’s not all you did. We started receiving checks payable to the Agua Fria Food Bank. At the current rate of financial donations, we should be able to give the food bank almost $2000.
This year the combined forces of these two dynamic organizations truly made a difference, but while these two organizations did the heavy lifting, it was the residents of PebbleCreek that made it happen.
Thank you for Karing!