Jim Meagher
Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day, is one of the biggest (perhaps the biggest) days of the year for the sale of elegant chocolate candy, flowers, perfume, and greeting cards. They are a means for us to communicate our enduring love and affection for those who we are very close to in our lives. In the early going of the new year, we have new opportunities to show our love to those who we will probably never meet by helping them to feed their families and themselves. It doesn’t get more basic. Valentine’s Day for them doesn’t include trips to elegant candy shops or jewelry merchants. These are the people who will once again be in line for a box of food on or near Valentine’s Day and hope that a “special treat” will be included in the box for them on that occasion. We can help to make that a reality for them.
Your Sun Lakes community’s partner with our Chandler-based food pantry Matthew’s Crossing is Reach Out Sun Lakes. We collect food each month at the following locations on the schedule listed below. Please bring your food and financial donations to one of them or arrange for a more convenient time for you. Contact information for other collection times is also provided below.
Our regular January donation pick-ups have already taken place. The pick-up locations, schedule, and January results follow.
Sun Lakes Duplicate Bridge Club: Risen Savior Lutheran Church. Their collection takes place on the second Tuesday of each month in the south parking lot between 12:30 and 1:30 p.m. The next date is Feb. 13. January collection: $100 and 40 pounds of food.
Democratic Club of Sun Lakes: West parking lot of Sun Lakes Country Club by the covered parking area on the second Monday of each month between 6:30 and 7 p.m. January collection: 38 pounds of food. The next collection date is Feb. 12.
Unity Church: If you or someone you know is a member of this faith community, they have a collection at their weekly service on Sundays at 10 a.m.
Sun Lakes Country Club (Phase 1): You can leave your donations in the donation box at the front desk during their normal working hours. January collection: 33 pounds of food.
If you wish to make a food donation at an alternate time or location, want to schedule a visit to Matthew’s Crossing Food Bank, or have any questions, please contact Jim Meagher of Reach Out Sun Lakes at [email protected] or by phone at 630-346-1966. Financial contributions can also be made online at matthewscrossing.org or by mail to Matthew’s Crossing Food Bank, 1368 N. Arizona Ave., Suite 112-115, Chandler, AZ 85225. Donations to Matthew’s Crossing Food Bank are fully tax deductible and eligible for an Arizona tax credit.