268th Week Update - Miles Neighborhood One Can A Week Project

Hi Folks,

Well Played, Rocco

Rocco DiGrazia has been a One Can A Week participant right from the beginning. I knock on his front door and step around the side of the house. In a few seconds, Rocco hands me something nutritious over the gate. When he’s not there his wife and kids know exactly what to do. So in the past five years, he hasn’t missed a Sunday unless he and his family were away.

We chat when he has time about what’s going on in the world and his responses are always pithy.  Rocco wants everybody to grow up and get on with things.  But he knows human nature so he says things with a bit of irony and humor coloring his philosophical directives.

If you have ever driven passed Rocco’s Little Chicago Pizzeria on Broadway Blvd. there is a medium sized sign out front with a marquee on the bottom. There Rocco announces his specials like, “We now have draft beer.” He also uses that space to give drivers and pedestrians a piece of whatever is on his mind. “Ghost Town Ahead” was one of his recent comments on the happenings in the city proper just three miles down the road.

On Friday morning while checking out news stories on The Huffington Post I noticed the headline: Rocco’s Little Chicago Pizzeria Serves Up Fantastic Response to Arizona’s Anti-Gay Bill. I knew immediately who they were talking about. There is not another Rocco like Rocco in Arizona or any other state for that matter.

Barbie Donovan here is Tucson created the legislator ban graphic and posted it on Rocco’s Facebook feed. The next series of events are pure Rocco. He saw the graphic and immediately sent it out to be reproduced “family pizza size” and then laminated. Not long after mounting it on his window, a customer took a photo and again posted on Facebook. Twelve thousand “Likes” later, The Huffington Post came calling.

This just goes to show that if businesses—big and small—stand up to the nutsness everywhere, their customers will jump right in to support such community leadership. Starbucks promotes community service; Costco, the minimum wage; CVS, ban on cigarette sales; and now Rocco’s Little Chicago Pizzeria, discriminatory laws.  Why not stop by Rocco’s at 2707 E. Broadway Blvd. soon and ask him “How’s business?” I know you will like the answer.

5th Truck Load - 2014 – There were two trips to the food bank today. The morning run delivered 435 lbs., significantly under the 500 lb. mark for a truck load. Then after lunch Dian Scott from the Shiva Vista Neighborhood stopped by. Her donation didn’t take up much room in the truck but it put us way over the truck load poundage.

 This week’s donations amounted to 549 lbs. and included River View Estates, 32 lbs.; Sprouts (Speedway), 151 lbs.; Sprouts (Oracle), 36 lbs., Shiva Vista, 114 lbs. and Miles Neighborhood, 216 lbs.

Too Good to Pass Up – While picking up a few items at Wal-Mart on Saturday I noticed a terrific sale price on a 4-pack of Libby vegetables. A couple of weeks ago the price was 50 cents a can. Now they were 37.25 cents per can. I called Maen at the Axis Food Mart immediately and he told me there was $30.00 in his Community Food Bank donation canister. Within minutes we had 80 cans or 74 lbs. of food ready to make the trip to the food bank.  

We collected a total of 216 lbs. of food. The money we donated amounted to $32.00, a $25.00 check and $7.00 in cash.

See you Sunday,

Peter