James Meagher
If you don’t have a child or a grandchild currently attending college, you may not be aware of the significant financial needs faced by students in the 2025 college environment at ASU. After paying for their tuition, housing (either on or off campus), and significant expenses such as books and fees, many students don’t have the financial resources to properly take care of their physical health. They just don’t have the money to afford healthy food. Hungry and unhealthy students are not well poised for academic success. As you know so well, we need the skills and potential they can bring to our national workforce both here in Arizona and throughout our country to make and keep our nation vibrant and growing.
Our partner Matthew’s Crossing Food Bank works with the ASU Pitchfork Pantry organization to address this serious health and educational risk. Providing students in need with access to free, nutritious food and necessary hygiene products is their mission. Working together, Matthew’s Crossing and Pitchfork Pantry strive to ensure that every student has the nutritional resources necessary to succeed academically, without the burden, anxiety, and worry associated with not having sufficient healthy food and hygiene necessities. Reach Out Sun Lakes is the organizational bridge between you and Matthew’s Crossing. Our Sun Lakes partners, people like you, through your personal and organizational stewardship, help to meet that requirement by providing food and financial resources to Matthew’s Crossing through us. Matthew’s Crossing volunteers and staff, in turn, organize and deliver to ASU food and other items to meet the needs discussed above. The partnership with ASU Pitchfork Pantry is one of many programs that Matthew’s Crossing provides to the diverse communities it serves. Each month we provide an overview of a different service provided by the dedicated team of Matthew’s Crossing Food Bank.
Through September, the Sun Lakes community, through its partner organizations and individual contributions, have donated to Reach Out Sun Lakes 1,373 pounds of nutritious food and $2,665 in financial support in 2025. The organizations we currently work with are: Sun Lakes Democratic Club, Chandler Democratic Club, Sun Lakes Country Club community, Sun Lakes Unity Church community, Sun Lakes Duplicate Bridge Club, and Sun Lakes United Church of Christ.
To schedule a home pick-up or visit to Matthew’s Crossing, or if you have questions about Reach Out Sun Lakes, please contact Jim Meagher of Reach Out Sun Lakes at either paloverdejim@gmail.com or 630-346-1966. Financial donations to Matthew’s Crossing are federal income tax-deductible and qualify for the Arizona Tax Credit.