PHOENIX — Traditionally, the holiday season is one of the hardest times of the year for food banks to meet the growing needs of the community.
But that need gave birth to Turkey Tuesday 32 years ago, one of our favorite events of the year here at 12News.
This year we are thrilled to continue our annual Turkey Tuesday drive, where we partner with St. Vincent de Paul and Bashas’ to help those in need.
Your generosity and the hard work of dedicated volunteers truly make an impact in the lives of thousands of families across Arizona.
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It’s that time of year, family, food, and football, a time we come together to remember all that we’re thankful for.
It’s also a time of giving and events like Turkey Tuesday are the perfect opportunity to get involved.
One of the places your donations go is St. Mathew’s Conference food pantry in Phoenix, where Vincentian volunteers Luis Garcia and Elisabet Rios try to meet as many needs as possible.
“The majority of us that volunteer came from a family at one time that needed help,” said Luis Garcia, a Vincentian volunteer.
Garcia and Rios are paying it forward.
“We give out food boxes to the families that are requesting help with food,” he said.
Garcia says sometimes families request help with utilities or rentals.
“…any kind of form they need… we never say no if we have the funds,” he added.
At St. Mathews they stay busy, sorting food they’ve received from St. Vincent de Paul’s Food Reclamation Center. They fill out the food boxes according to each family’s needs.
“If it’s a big family, we’ll give them two big banana boxes… and we’ll fill out the dry goods from here, and then for my other room is all our frozen,” said Rios. “… milk, eggs, meats, bread…”
Rios is passionate about doing this incredible work and about helping others.
“It’s just amazing,” she said. “This organization is beautiful.”
Rios says one of her favorite things about volunteering is meeting the families they serve.
“…going out and meeting the families… doing the home visits and you get to go one-on-one and meet the families,” Rios said. “That’s what I love the most.”
They visit at least 15-20 homes twice a week, depending on the calls they receive.
With each delivery, they include prayer cards.
As soon as they parked, the Hairston family in Phoenix came outside and greeted them with smiles and hugs.
“It’s so special,” said 11-year-old Yahweh. “I cannot believe that it’s happening today.”
The visit means so much to him.
“They’re very nice, loving and helpful…” he said.
And his 9-year-old sister Yulan.
“Yeah, they’re my best friends,” she said.
Their mom Katherine Dillard and grandma Sandra Hairston are more than grateful for the generosity of others.
“Because I’m on a fixed income and it has been so many months to where I’m robbing Peter to pay Paul in order to get groceries for my grandkids and my daughter,” said Hairston. “They have been angels sent for real."
“I feel tears coming, because the way everything is right now, it’s hard to trust anybody,” said Dillard. “The economy is high and just them – they always help us… so I am grateful for them.”
Every visit concludes with an extra special moment.
“We ask them if they want to say a prayer with us,” said Garcia.
He says sometimes it’s spoken by the volunteers and other times, by the families they’re visiting.
“…and some of them do… they have beautiful, beautiful prayers,” said Garcia.
He says sometimes it’s that powerful moment – that blessing – they’re in need of the most.
“Maybe they haven’t gone to church in a long time and when we go, we represent Christ,” he said. “So, we get a lot more out of it than the families do sometimes.”
The beautiful and important mission behind St. Vincent de Paul is truly making an immense difference in the lives of so many Arizonans.
“It lifts my spirits, and it lets me know that god is real,” said Hairston. “Not only are they feeding our bellies, but they help feed our soul as well.”
More than 168,00 food boxes are delivered every year to families experiencing food insecurity in central and northern Arizona.
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The free 12News+ app from 12News lets users stream live events — including daily newscasts like "Today in AZ" and "12 News" and our daily lifestyle program, "Arizona Midday"—on Roku and Amazon Fire TV.
12News+ showcases live video throughout the day for breaking news, local news, weather and even an occasional moment of Zen showcasing breathtaking sights from across Arizona.