Liese Razzeto of SaddleBrooke Ranch and Linda Leigh of Oracle Learning Garden prepare produce for distribution.
Barbara Barr
The day before Easter sunday was cold and rainy, but that didn’t keep hundreds of families away from the Oracle Community Center to pick up fresh produce for their families. The Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke and Rotary District 5500 raised money to provide 7,000 pounds of produce for families in need in the Copper Corridor. Working with Creative Community Solutions, Inc., and The Oracle Community Learning Garden, Inc., Oracle community volunteers stepped up to help the Rotarians distribute 7,000 pounds of produce in 29 minutes.
Volunteers manned a fleet of trucks to pick up produce before dawn in Marana from the Diabetes Prevention and Aid Fund, dba Borderlands Food Bank, a 501(c)(3) organization—www.borderlandsproducerescue.org. After transporting the produce to Oracle, other volunteers sorted the food into boxes for each family. Due to the number of cars in line to pick up produce, the Sheriff’s Department had the distribution begin early. All 7,000 pounds of produce was gone in 29 minutes, and there were still hundreds of cars in line that didn’t get food. We were all heartbroken. We just didn’t realize the number of families with food insecurity.
The next distribution of fresh produce was May 9, and the Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke purchased 14,000 pounds of produce to be distributed in Oracle, San Manuel, and Mammoth.
The Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke is not only an award-winning organization devoted to making a difference locally and globally, but it is also a club that enjoys coming together for lifelong learning. Normally, we meet weekly over lunch on Thursdays, at the SaddleBrooke One clubhouse. Currently, we meet weekly on Zoom where we “Zoom at Noon” each Thursday from our homes. Plus, we enjoy getting together for social events and service projects. We have fun making a difference.
The Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke is open to anyone who is living or working in SaddleBrooke, SaddleBrooke Ranch, Oracle, Catalina, Oro Valley, and all surrounding communities. If this sounds like something of interest to you, come join us for lunch on Thursday at 11:30 a.m. when we resume meeting at SaddleBrooke One clubhouse and meet our friendly members. You also can join one of our Zoom meetings. For more information, contact Wendy Guyton at 520-404-5712 or [email protected].