Jim Meagher
It’s hard to believe but it’s early November in Sun Lakes. For most of us, this is the time of the year when living the dream is in full swing. The weather is fabulous for golf, tennis, pickleball and whatever else may be your outdoor passion. Our flat screens are providing us with abundant professional and collegiate sports viewing fun and excitement. Life is indeed good! Christmas and Hanukkah will add the finishing touch to year end in just a few weeks. Not so fast you say. You left out a big one…Thanksgiving Day. It’s older than our country, isn’t connected with any particular religious tradition and there is a human quality that it evokes that is so essential to life well lived. That quality is gratitude. Grateful people are who we want to be with on Thanksgiving. They find roses to smell wherever they are and give the joy they receive to all they encounter. They send holiday cards, bake and cook special treats for family and friends, and look for opportunities to make others feel good especially on holidays. The grateful person realizes that all they have is a gift and that gifts are to be shared and given away. They have also learned that deep satisfaction and happiness are found that way. Sharing never fails to satisfy.
Speaking of gratitude and sharing, this is the perfect opportunity to thank all of our Sun Lakes partners who so generously support Matthews Crossing Food Bank regularly throughout the year:
* Sun Lakes Country Club Community has donated over a ton of food this year through September
* Cottonwood/PaloVerde Community for their annual Fall Open House Food Drive
* Members of the Sun Lakes Democratic Club, the Unity Church Community of Sun Lakes, and the Contract Bridge Club
* Individual donors of our great community throughout all of Sun Lakes who donate online or in countless other ways.
We are always looking for additional Sun Lakes groups to partner with us. A monthly food collection is easy to implement. We will provide the container and pick up the food at the time of the event. Contact information to discuss is listed below. Visit their website at matthewscrossing.org to learn how they are assisting the working poor of all ages in the east valley.
As we approach the end of the year some of us are finalizing our tax credits and deductions for the year including: meeting IRS required minimum distributions (RMD’s) for tax-deferred investments such as Traditional IRA’s and maximizing the Arizona Income Tax credit for donations to qualifying charitable organizations. Be assured that donations to Matthews Crossing fully qualify for this dollar-for-dollar tax credit. Matthews Crossing will provide you with the necessary documentation to support your Arizona tax return preparation. Please call me if you have any questions or concerns regarding the Arizona tax credit, financial donation processing or food donation pickup etc. You can call or text Jim at: 630-346-1966.