Jim Meagher
Across our community, a quiet crisis is unfolding—one that often goes unseen amid our daily routines. Even as the summer sun brightens our days, many families face uncertainty about where their next meal will come from. Food insecurity, once thought of as a distant problem, is now a stark reality for neighbors in our midst.
As rising costs and dwindling support programs strain household budgets, local organizations and citizens are stepping up to bridge the gap. Their efforts remind us that compassion and collective action are more essential than ever.
Economic challenges make it difficult to get healthy, nutritious food. In an ideal world, all children and young people should be fed and have access to decent food. However, it’s not that simple. Here are some hard facts that tell the story.
Millions of Americans are just one job loss, missed paycheck, or medical emergency away from hunger. Children who struggle with poor nutrition are more likely to have problems in school.
The growth and prevalence of hunger in America, known throughout the world as the land of plenty, is unacceptable.
It appears that the government of the U.S. may be doing away with many of the programs that helped the poor. Now, Matthew’s Crossing, our local food bank, is trying to make up for what the government has eliminated. We, as individuals, must try to dig deeper into our pockets to stop this tragedy from happening.
With all of the above in mind, we ask our Splash readers to consider two ways you can help without increasing your donation. The first is to consider the possibility of any group you are part of and whether they could provide food and/or money to Matthew’s Crossing. The other is to consider volunteering once or twice a month for several hours total per month. We need several residents of the area to work with us at Reach Out Sun Lakes. Please contact Jim Meagher with regard to this. His contact information is listed below.
Through the generosity of the members of our partner organizations, the following amounts of food and cash donations have been collected year to date on July 30: Sun Lakes Bridge Club: $310 cash and 43 pounds of food, Sun Lakes Democratic Club $470 cash and 270 pounds food, Unity Church of Sun Lakes: $1,270 cash and 269 pounds of food, Chandler Democratic Club: 146 pounds of food and $200 cash, Sun Lakes United Church of Christ: 120 pounds of food.
To schedule home pick-up, schedule a visit to Matthew’s Crossing, or if you have questions, please contact Jim Meagher of Reach Out Sun Lakes by email at paloverdejim@gmail.com or by phone at 630-346-1966. Financial donations to Matthew’s Crossing are federal income tax deductible and qualify for the Arizona tax credit.