Volunteers sort, box up, and deliver donations collected during the SBCO Annual Food Drive to the Tri-Community Food Bank. (Photo by Steve Weiss Photography)
Help Others by Supporting the Annual SBCO Food Drive
Nancy McCluskey-Moore
The SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) annual Food Drive is accepting donations of food as well as money to support the Tri-Community Food Bank (TCFB) based in Mammoth. TCFB serves needy families living in Mammoth, San Manuel, Oracle, and the Dudleyville/Aravaipa area. On a monthly basis, TCFB serves about 530 households (1,565 people). In the Tri-Community area, 20% of households live below the poverty level and 10% are below 50% of the poverty level. Recent increases in the cost of gasoline, food, and utilities have a significant impact on families already struggling to make ends meet.
Monetary contributions can be made online or with checks. Online donations can be made at the SBCO website community-outreach.org. Checks, made payable to SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (please put your unit number on the memo line), can be delivered to your Food Drive Unit Captain or mailed or hand delivered to the SBCO office at 63675 E. SaddleBrooke Blvd., Suite L., Tucson, AZ 85739 (in the SaddleBrooke business complex). Office hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
All monetary donations go directly to grocery purchases and related expenses. SBCO and TCFB are both all-volunteer organizations and are IRS 501(c)(3) and Arizona nonprofit charitable organizations, so donations made to these organizations are tax deductible.
On Saturday, March 16, food donations need to be placed at the curb for pick up by 8 a.m. These donations will be taken to the MountainView Clubhouse parking lot for sorting, boxing, and delivery. TCFB requests that we not donate: sugar, flour, items in glass containers, fresh fruit or vegetables, any item with an expiration prior to 2022, or used or opened packages.
Also this year, each unit will be given suggested products to donate, including preferred sizes. Flyers will be customized by unit number. For example, Unit 1/1A will be asked to donate peanut butter and jelly, Unit 2 canned soup, etc. This will help ensure TCFB receives the desired items in usable quantities.
If you would like to volunteer for the Food Drive, please contact Andrea Stephens and Betty Ryan at [email protected].
In 2023, SBCO Home Tour attendees were able to see the dramatically remodeled guest bathroom in the home of Pam and Darryl Jackson. (Photo by Kenya Glenn, KC Creative Design Photography)
Buy Your Tickets Now for the March 23 Home Tour
Nancy McCluskey-Moore
It’s time for the SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) Remodeled Home Tour! This annual event is a great way to collect ideas about how to improve traffic flow, expand storage options, create a space for guests, or simply modernize and beautify a home. And let’s face it—who doesn’t want to see what our neighbors have done to their homes? This tour of six houses is designed to show you changes—large and small—that might inspire your own home improvements.
The Home Tour helps SBCO inform the SaddleBrooke and SaddleBrooke Ranch communities about its food, clothing, enrichment, and educational programs for children in nearby communities. It also helps SBCO recruit the volunteers needed to make these programs work. Tour attendees can choose between a morning (9 a.m. to noon) or afternoon (1 to 4 p.m.) tour on Saturday, March 23. During those three hours, you’ll be able to visit all of the homes. In addition to viewing the latest interior design, you’ll see smart bathroom and kitchen makeovers, casita additions, revised floor plans, and renovated outdoor living spaces.
Tickets for this much-anticipated annual event went on sale online on Feb. 26 at community-outreach.org. In-person sales, check or cash only, begin at 9 a.m. on Monday, March 4 in the SBCO office, Suite L in the SaddleBrooke business center on SaddleBrooke Blvd. With two tour times, 600 tickets will be available. When tickets are purchased, buyers will need to indicate which showing (morning or afternoon) they will attend. Tickets cost $20 per person and are sold only to SaddleBrooke and SaddleBrooke Ranch residents.
Call your friends and make plans now before the tickets sell out!
We still could use a few more docents. If you would like to serve as a docent in one of the tour homes for the morning or afternoon session, please contact Lisa Urban at [email protected]. Docents receive free admission to the tour!
At last year’s annual meeting, SBCO scholarship committee member Andrea Sahl and graduate school scholarship recipient Makayla Martinez met M.J. Beasley, a Scholarship Endowment Fund donor.
Annual SBCO Celebration Set
for April 8
Nancy McCluskey-Moore
On Monday, April 8, at 3 p.m. in the MountainView Ballroom, SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) will honor the volunteers and supporters who have made it possible to annually serve children and their families living in the Copper Corridor, stretching from Catalina to Miami and San Carlos. This area includes more than three counties, eight school districts, 17 schools, Head Start programs, and 4,000 youngsters.
For more than 25 years, the mission of SBCO has been to provide opportunities for kids to succeed. SBCO programs and grants focus on four things important to the success of children in need: food, clothing, enrichment, and education. Over the years, the variety of programs we support, as well as the number of children served, has expanded dramatically.
This event is an opportunity to recognize the contributions of the SaddleBrooke and SaddleBrooke Ranch residents who have provided SBCO with the time, talent, and funds essential to our programs’ success. The volunteer of the year, receptionist of the year, and lifetime achievement volunteer will be recognized. A check for the funds raised during the annual food drive will be awarded to Tri-Community Food Bank and guests from local schools will present the enrichment programs that were funded by SBCO grants. A scholarship awarded from the SBCO Scholarship Endowment Fund will also be announced.
Refreshments, a no-host bar, and door prizes will be provided. Attendees will be able to visit with volunteers and meet members of the current and incoming board of directors. At the event, SBCO members will vote on the slate of officers for 2024–25.
Plan now to join us in celebrating SBCO’s more than a quarter century of making a difference in local communities—and the dedication of those who have made our organization so successful. This event is open to the public and no reservations are required. Just come on April 8, have fun, and learn more about SBCO’s programs.
Taxes Done? Time to Shred Your Old Paperwork!
Nancy McCluskey-Moore
If you are weighed down by outdated paper files, get ready to lighten your load. Bring boxes or bags of paper to the Shredding and Recycling Event on Saturday, April 20, from 9 a.m. to noon (or until the truck is full). The event, hosted by Long Realty-Golder Ranch, SaddleBrooke Community Outreach, and the Beacon Foundation, will be held in the SaddleBrooke HOA One parking lot next to the bocce ball courts.
To protect your privacy, all documents are put into containers at the drop-off site. The containers are locked and transported to the Beacon facility for shredding. In addition to documents, only computer hard drives, which may still be inside computers or laptops, will be accepted for donation/recycling.
For each bag or box of items delivered for shredding or recycling, please bring $5 or five cans of food. All donations of cash and food will benefit the Tri-Community Food Bank and the Beacon Group.
For more information, please contact Long Realty at 15250 N. Oracle Road, #110 (in the Basha’s complex) or 520-665-4200.
QCD—A Great Way to Help Others While Lowering Your Taxes
Ed Barnes
In 1974, Congress established the Individual Retirement Account (IRA) to encourage working people to save for retirement and supplement their social security retirement income. Funds in a traditional IRA are sheltered from income taxes until withdrawn. But to ensure that money isn’t sheltered from taxes indefinitely, Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) were established. Currently, starting at age 73, IRA owners are required to distribute a portion of their account each year. These distributions are taxed.
In 2006, Congress established the Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD). A QCD is a powerful strategy that allows you to support your favorite charities directly from your IRA. To utilize QCDs you must be 70½ or older (you don’t have to wait until an RMD is required) making it an ideal option for retirees seeking meaningful ways to give back while reducing taxable income. Importantly, QCD distributions are excluded from taxable income and they can be made throughout the year.
QCD payments must be made directly from your traditional IRA to a “qualified” charity as defined by the IRS. The maximum amount of the QCD per taxpayer is $100,000 per year.
The QCD is not a deductible item on your tax return. It just offsets the taxes on an IRA distribution. This can be particularly beneficial if you are taking the standard deduction instead of itemizing deductions. QCDs allow you to support charities while still enjoying tax advantages.
The SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) Scholarship Endowment Fund is a qualified charity focused on supporting students from the “Copper Corridor” area who want to attend college and have qualified to receive SBCO Scholarships. These students are the best of the best and need our help to continue their education and reach their career goals.
The endowment fund invests all donations in long-term investments that will provide support for students over many years. To contribute to a QCD, you just need to direct the administrator of your traditional IRA to send a check made payable to the Community Foundation of Southern Arizona (CFSA), administrator of the SBCO Endowment Fund. On the check memo line designate “SBCO Scholarship Endowment Fund” (CFSA’s Tax ID is 94-2681765). Donations should be sent to the following address: The SBCO Scholarship Fund, Community Foundation of Southern Arizona, 5049 E. Broadway, Suite 201, Tucson, AZ 85711.
The minimum contribution requested is $5,000.
SBCO will keep you informed of scholarships awarded by the fund and specific areas the students are pursuing.
We recommend that you seek advice from your tax adviser to ensure you are getting the best tax advantage from your contribution.
There are other ways to contribute to our Endowment Fund. If you have questions or would like to discuss these opportunities, please give us a call at the SBCO office at 520-825-3302, or send an email to [email protected].