195th Week Update - Miles Neighborhood Food Collection Project

Hi Folks,

Making the Rounds in the Cabriolet

… UPDATE …

Dot Kret and I met with Mayor Jonathan Rothschild July 12th. On August 6th, less than a month later we made our first One Can A Meeting food pick up at PICOR. They donated 154 lbs.

It is just 53 days since the Mayor started handing out Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona food donation boxes, and in that short time we have picked up 618 lbs. of food from PICOR, The Mayor’s Office, The City Manager’s Office, Providence, Lewis and Roca and Skyview High School.

That much food can generate 475 meals (1.3 lbs. per meal) and feed 158 folks three meals in one day.

There are more organizations and firms in the Mayor’s One Can A Meeting program that will be adding their donations in the coming weeks. This is all found food which wouldn’t be on its way to the Food Bank if the Mayor hadn’t decided—in an instant that day in early July—to encourage lots of important folks to get involved just a little to help end hunger here in the city.

… UPDATE …

Photo by Molly Thrasher

Tiffany Kassel the teacher coordinating the One Can A Week program at The Miles School, called for another pickup this week. They had 84 lbs. and $5.00 in cash to donate. Last week there was over 60 lbs.

The surprising thing about this week’s donation is two huge bags of food were given to a Miles School family in trouble before I got there. The family already used up their monthly allotment at the Food Bank and there was still another week in September to go.

The kids knew about the family’s struggle and asked Tiffany if they could give them some of the food. She agreed because this was a terrific lesson in taking care of your friends and neighbors first. And then there’s the part about actually seeing what their own One Can A Week donation can do to help others.

The Miles School is celebrating its third One Can A Week anniversary this year. And it looks like the kids really understand what hunger is and that they have the power to do something about it.

Wait, That’s Too MuchArnold’s donation was not on the porch in the usual chair near the driveway but there were two stuffed Safeway shopping bags on the couch next to the front door. As I reached for the bags I paused a moment. “Nah, this is way more than he normal gives,” and I looked around again for his donation. Just then Arnold came out of the house and handed me a can.

“Good thing you came back,” I said, “I was about to take your dinner.”

He laughed but looked at me as if to say, “you would have never made it out of the driveway.”

We collected a total of 148 lbs. of food. The money we donated amounted to $35.00, a $25.00 check and $10.00 in cash.



See you Sunday,

Peter