Esperanza is helping with food needs on multiple fronts at the Kyrene Family Resource Center. Currently, the center needs the following for families: peanut butter, jelly, gallon freezer bags, cereal, and spaghetti pasta and sauce.
Some children in the Kyrene School District have been coming to class Monday mornings hungry, struggling to focus on learning. The center is responding to the need by packing Weekend Food Bags and providing these to children on Fridays. Food items can include any of the following:
- Microwavable mac and cheese
- Microwavable Chef Boyardee
- Microwavable ramen noodles
- Microwavable cup of soup
- Breakfast cereal
- Granola bars
- Applesauce or fruit cup
The center prefers that these be a single serving, and a suggestion would be to purchase single-serving containers in bulk at Costco. The center will pack the food in bags.
In early October, the center indicated it was distributing approximately 150 Weekend Food Bags every Friday. Through October, Esperanza has donated a total of 1,259 pounds of food to the center, surpassing our food donation goal of 1,250 pounds for 2024. Please place donations in the shopping cart in the Fellowship Hall. Thank you for your generosity! For questions, contact Larry Hanson at [email protected]
On Oct. 26, a total of 17 volunteers from Esperanza (including five Scout Troop 3014 members) helped at the center in Tempe. During the two-hour event, work tasks included stocking food shelves, sorting food donations, cleaning the clothes rack area, and sorting school supplies. The Esperanza team also delivered 65 pounds of non-perishable food to the center.
The center estimates that approximately 900 people per year are coming to the center for help, either weekly or periodically.