Sandy Ketterer
This year’s 22nd annual Diamond Lake Luminary and Food Donation Walk is on Saturday, Dec. 12, and Sunday, Dec. 13, from 6 to 8 p.m. The dedicated site for donations is: azcend.org/luminaria.
Excerpt of article published on AZCEND.org, reprinted with permission.
Lighting the Lake, Feeding Our Neighbors
Twenty-one years ago, the Luminaria walk at Diamond Lake in Sun Lakes began with a simple idea.
“We were sitting around in 2004 at Christmas in my backyard,” said Judith Johnson, founder of the event. “My son said, ‘you ought to get some of your friends and just put luminaries around the lake. It would look so pretty.’”
At the time, there were only a handful of homes around the water. The goal was simple: neighbors wanted to connect. So five women gathered bags, sand and candles, paid for everything themselves and lined the lake with light.
It was meant to be small.
But by the third year, something unexpected happened. Visitors began handing them money at the gate. Others brought canned goods. One early year alone, they collected nearly 3,000 pounds of food and stored it in a garage.
The partnership with AZCEND had begun.
“I definitely wanted something local,” Judith said. “There are a lot of food banks, but local was very important.” What started as a neighborhood holiday tradition has grown into one of the most meaningful annual food drives supporting AZCEND’s Food Bank and the neighbors we serve.
About seven years ago, Robyn and Stephen Moody stepped in to help lead the effort.
Today, the Luminaria weekend draws hundreds of people each night, with an estimated 800 to 1,000 visitors on Saturday alone. The lake glows with more than 1,000 luminaries. Every home along the water participates. Music fills the air. Families stroll together. Many return year after year.
“The luminary walk itself is magical,” said Robyn Moody. “Everyone who comes, especially the first time, they are just amazed.”
Behind the beauty is something even more meaningful.
Food collection begins on Thanksgiving and continues through New Year’s Eve.
“We have people pull up with trucks from Costco or Sam’s Club and just unload food,” said Stephen Moody. “It just blows you away to see the generosity.”
Every can and every dollar matters. Through Arizona’s Charitable Tax Credit, individuals can give to AZCEND and receive a dollar-for-dollar credit on their state taxes, up to the allowable limits. That means you can support neighbors in need and reduce your tax burden at the same time. Monetary donations help AZCEND stretch its resources even further.
“We have visited AZCEND and seen firsthand people picking up those boxes,” Robyn said. “It makes us feel very proud that we can help somebody not be hungry.”
Over the years, the partnership has grown stronger and expanded. AZCEND now sends trucks for collection and coordinates volunteers to help load donations.
The heart of the Luminaria event is not just the lights. It is what neighbors can accomplish together. That spirit of generosity is what makes this event so powerful and what keeps it going year after year.