Ellen Engel

In a fine beginning to the end of its ninth year of collecting food and funds for the Matthew’s Crossing Food Bank, Reach Out volunteers collected a total of 225 pounds of staple foods and $260 in cash from three of its four monthly collections — 196 pounds of staple foodstuffs and $545 from Unity of Sun Lakes, the Sun Lakes Bridge Club and the Sun Lakes Jewish community. One more generous collector, the Sun Lakes Democratic Club, donated too late for the Splash deadline this month (but these results will be reported next month, along with our astounding annual totals for 2016).

Matthew’s Crossing serves over 600 needy Chandler families and any Sun Lakes resident may contribute at established pickup points sponsored by the Sun Lakes Duplicate Bridge Club and the Sun Lakes Democratic Club. Membership in these clubs is not a criterion. In fact, many individual donors from all over Sun Lakes show up at these two club-sponsored pickup points: the Bridge Club pickup takes place at the Risen Savior Lutheran Church on Alma School Road on the first Monday of each month from 12:30-1:20 p.m. and the Sun Lakes Democratic Club accepts contributions on the second Monday at 6:30 p.m. at the Sun Lakes Country Club (SLCC).

For those who cannot make it to the formal pickup locations at specific times, a collection point is also open during normal business hours at the SLCC clubhouse for people who cannot make their drop-offs at either of the regular pickup times.

Reach Out Sun Lakes always welcomes willing volunteers who spend several hours a month helping to handle the collections at our donation locations and assisting with other simple tasks related to delivery to the food bank, program bookkeeping, etc.

The food bank itself, located at 1368 Arizona Avenue in Chandler, also needs volunteers on a regular basis. If interested, please call 480-857-2296 and join the many Sun Lakers who already donate time and effort at Matthew’s Crossing.

For information, to arrange for your organization’s support of this worthwhile program, or to volunteer as a collector, please contact Ellen Engel at 480-802-0425 or email [email protected].