Community organization helps feed school kids over the summer

Caring Coalition AZ, a local non-profit, is holding their Abundant Summer Food Drive from May 6 to May 21. Non-perishable food donations are being collected at Sunshine Market and McDowell Market in midtown Phoenix in order to help feed school-age children in need in the surrounding community. These children become at risk of hunger during summer break because they can't rely on school food programs for daily meals.

The organization's everyday mission is to create 70+ weekend care packages per week for children in need,
mainly in Emerson Elementary School and SySTEM schools. As of the end of this school year, 8,000 weekend care packages will have been distributed to students. Caring Coalition AZ also holds special food drives for holidays and summer break.

“I saw this need in our community,” says director and founder, Sat Kaur Khalsa. “Children and their families were struggling with basic needs and I wanted to do something about it. We're lucky to experience abundance and we can surely share some of that abundance with those in need.”

Khalsa also emphasizes providing “better-for-you” food to the children. “We don't give these kids high fructose corn syrup or a lot of highly processed food. We try to have a balanced offering with a good amount of protein.”

Angelica Cruz, former Emerson Elementary School principal, has shared several anonymous testimonials with Caring Coalition AZ. One such story ended with “The family has been so grateful to know that food is available on Friday afternoons for them to take home, as well as meals for the holidays.”

The organization is also accepting monetary donations that will support not only this food drive but the
creation of weekend care packages throughout the 2018-2019 school year. New volunteers are always welcome to help pack weekend care packages on Thursday nights.

To learn more about this event visit: www.caringcoalitionaz.org/abun...