Shop Local

Ann Marie Budo

Holiday shopping is right around the corner and Bashas’ reloadable Community Support Card is a great way to help SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) programs. These reloadable cards are accepted at all AJ’s, Bashas’, and Food City locations.

How does it work? Purchase a reloadable card from SBCO for $5. The card comes pre-loaded with $5 and you reload it as often as needed by visiting the customer service counter at any AJ’s, Bashas’, or Food City store before heading to the check-out to pay for your purchase. You receive dollar-for-dollar value on your purchases, and Bashas’ donates 6% of every dollar you reload back to SBCO!

Cards can be purchased through the SaddleBrooke Community Outreach office located at 63675 E SaddleBrooke Blvd, Suite L. Office hours are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Can’t make it in person? Call us at 520-825-3302.

Buy a card, use the card, and help fund SBCO programs. It’s an easy way to make a difference this holiday season.

Support SBCO Through a Qualified Charitable Distribution

Anne Marie Budo

Since 1997, SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) has been providing life-changing programs that reach thousands of children and youth in the small rural communities that constitute the 100+ mile-long Copper Corridor. Every program, every volunteer effort, and every contribution helps provide opportunities for local children to succeed. Together, we are building stronger communities and brighter futures.

You can support SBCO’s mission to feed, clothe, enrich, and educate youngsters through a 2026 Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) directly from your IRA. When completed correctly, a distribution from your IRA to SBCO, a qualified 501(c)(3) organization, counts toward your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) while potentially yielding important tax benefits. For many donors, this can be a tax-friendly way to support SBCO rather than taking the distribution personally and then donating cash afterward. In general, QCDs are a simple, tax-smart way to support the eligible causes you care about.

To get started, consult your IRA trustee, attorney or tax advisor about transferring your donation directly from your IRA. You can donate directly to SBCO’s General Fund or SBCO’s Scholarship Endowment Fund. Donations to the Endowment Scholarship Fund must be made to the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona and designated for the SBCO Scholarship Endowment Fund.

This information is not intended as legal or tax advice. To learn more about SaddleBrooke Community Outreach, please visit our website: SBCO.org.

Donate to SBCO and Make a Difference for Local Children

Nancy McCluskey-Moore

For nearly 30 years, SaddleBrooke Community Outreach has been providing young people in local communities with opportunities to succeed through programs that provide food, clothing, enrichment grants, and scholarships. We serve youngsters living in the “Copper Corridor”—economically disadvantaged, former mining towns stretching across more than 100 miles from Catalina to Globe.

Programs implemented by our all-volunteer organization include:

Food: Our Annual Food Drive collects funds (and donated food) for the Tri-Community Food Bank and we deliver holiday food baskets to families in Oracle, San Manuel, Mammoth, Hayden, and Winkelman.

Kids’ Closet: Twice a year, children from pre-K to 8th grade receive new shoes, clothing and toiletries, plus a backpack filled with grade-appropriate school supplies.

Teen Closet: Twice a year, students from 9th through 12th grade receive a shopping budget for clothing and school supplies. Graduating seniors receive an additional shopping trip to prepare for college or work.

Education Enrichment: Grants are given to schools and community organizations to supplement the school curriculum with instructional experiences in science, math and the arts, as well as summer school, books and recreational opportunities.

Scholarships: We grant to deserving high school seniors two- and four-year scholarships to attend colleges, vocational programs and other post-secondary educational opportunities. Students in a two-year program receive $2,500 per year and those in a four-year program receive $5,000. Since 2001, we have granted 535 scholarships!

Holiday Adopt: Annually this program collects funds from SaddleBrooke and SaddleBrooke Ranch residents that volunteers then use to purchase, wrap, and deliver gifts (or gift cards) to families and the parents/ guardians of children attending elementary schools in Oracle, San Manuel, Mammoth, Hayden, Winkelman, San Carlos, and Apache Tribal Social Services.

Your financial contribution to SBCO can make a BIG difference in many children’s lives. Since SBCO is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization (Tax ID # 86-0843458), all contributions are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. Contributions are also eligible for the Arizona Tax Credit for Contributions to Charities that Provide Assistance to the Working Poor. This 2026, single filers, heads of households, or married filing separately can contribute up to $506 and married couples filing jointly can contribute up to $1,009.

Your donation will be acknowledged. If you make a gift on behalf of a friend or family member, in memory of a special person or in honor of an event or person, an acknowledgement also will be sent to the appropriate person or his/her family.

You can make a secure online donation at SBCO.org using your credit or debit card.

Or a donation can be made by delivering or sending a check (made payable to SaddleBrooke Community Outreach or SBCO) to: SaddleBrooke Community Outreach, Inc., 63675 E. SaddleBrooke Blvd., Suite L., Tucson, AZ 85739.

On behalf of the 6,000 local children we assist each year, we thank you for your support!

Support SBCO by Shredding Papers and Recycling

Nancy McCluskey-Moore and Ann Coziahr

Shred your outdated paper files! Bring boxes or bags of paper to the Shredding and Recycling Event on Saturday, Nov. 21 from 8 to 11 a.m. (or until the truck is full). The event, hosted by Long Realty-Golder Ranch, SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO), and the Beacon Foundation, will be held on 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 or 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.

Recycle your aluminum cans with SBCO! Since 1997, SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) has been recycling donated aluminum cans to raise funds for clothing, food, education, and enrichment programs to benefit children in nearby communities. Thanks to the recycling services of Tucson Iron & Metal, SBCO has raised over $62,166 to provide opportunities for kids to succeed.

To recycle bags or boxes full of aluminum cans, simply turn onto Bobcat Canyon Road off Ridgeview Boulevard (it’s adjacent to the pickleball complex). The recycling container is located on the right side of the road down near the Maintenance Yard. Drive up to the recycling bin and deposit your cans. Please take your bag, box, or other container home with you since items other than aluminum cans in the bin result in extra handling charges. Every three or four months, the container is replaced and SBCO reaps the rewards of your recycling efforts!

Bring Joy to Local Children Through the Adopt Program this Holiday Season

Susan Hastings

For well over a decade, SaddleBrooke Ranch (SBR) has participated in the Adopt Program, formerly known as the Angel Tree, under the SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) umbrella. Each year, local school counselors and educators identify children and families who need assistance. For each child, we receive a first name, age, gender, clothing sizes, and wish list of needed items. This year SBR will provide gifts for children enrolled in the Hayden-Winkelman School District.

Last year SBR residents provided gifts to more than 230 students in local school districts. SBR residents’ generosity has made the Adopt Program a long-standing success. We invite you to open your heart again this year and help local children experience the joy of unwrapping a special gift during the holiday season.

Angels will be available for selection in November at the following locations, dates, and times.

The Bistro (La Hacienda)

Saturday, Nov. 7, from 8 a.m to noon

Tuesday, Nov. 10, from 8 a.m to noon

The Ranch House

Friday, Nov. 13, from 4:30 to 7 p.m.

Wednesday Nov. 18, from 4:30 to 7 p.m.

Wrapped gifts drop-off dates:

Wrapped gifts may be dropped off on Dec. 7, 8, or 9. The location and times will be printed on each Angel. If you will be out of town on those dates, contact us to arrange an earlier drop-off.

All wrapped gifts will be delivered to the school on Dec. 14.

Residents can participate in the program by:

* Selecting an Angel and returning wrapped gifts on the dates listed above.

* Donating online at SBCO.org/make-a-donation.

* Making check payable to SBCO and mailing it to the SBCO Office, 63675 E. SaddleBrooke Blvd, Suite L, Tucson, AZ 85739. You may also deliver a check in-person Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

SBCO is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (Tax ID #86-0843458), all contributions are tax deductible.

If you have questions, please contact Myriam Barthole at bartholemyriam@gmail.com or Lisa Leslie at l114leslie@aol.com.