CONNECTION
community
by Katie Lucas
July 15 is National Give Something Away Day, so I thought I would share some great, local charities with you all to donate your unused items to! St. Vincent de Paul The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to helping the poor and less fortunate in communities all over the world. St. Vincent de Paul of Phoenix, Arizona runs programs that serve the homeless and working poor in and around Phoenix such as dental and medical care facilities, thrift stores, and transitional housing. St. Vincent de Paul runs 17 thrift stores in the central and northern AZ areas, that are stocked with clothing donations and household item donations. You can help the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Phoenix by scheduling a donation pick up for St. Vincent de Paul thrift stores. Your donations will be sold to raise money to help the poor!
Arizona Humane Society Since 1957, the Arizona Humane Society (AHS) has fostered the belief that every pet deserves a good life. Their mission is to save the most vulnerable animals and enrich the lives of pets and people. What once began as a small shelter established by a compassionate group of volunteers has since grown to become the state’s largest animal welfare and protection agency, as well as the state’s designated responder for animals in distress during natural disasters. Throughout the years, a commitment to thinking differently about animal welfare has led to countless first-of-their-kind programs, services, education and communication techniques that have been emulated by organizations all over the world.
St. Mary's Food Bank A hungry, young mother. A man with a mission. And a new goal. These were the beginnings of the world’s first food bank. John van Hengel founded St. Mary’s Food Bank in 1967. He had been volunteering at a local soup kitchen, serving dinner to those in need when a young mother told him that she depended on soup kitchens and food from grocery store dumpsters to feed her children. Van Hengel’s heart was broken. His conversation with the young woman ignited a desire to help hungry families like hers, so he came up with the idea of a “Food Bank,” where individuals and companies with excess food could “deposit” it, and those in need could “withdraw” it. His local parish, St. Mary’s Basilica in downtown Phoenix, gave him $3,000 and an abandoned building where he was able to turn his dream into reality, and in gratitude, he named his food bank “St. Mary’s.”
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