Mon, Jul 06, 2009
RANCHO RESORT MAINTANANCE POSITION Administrative & Professional Tucson Urban League CEO/President Administrative & Professional Jorgensen Brooks Group Counselor Finance and Accounting Charles E. Gillman Company Accounting Specialist Mechanical Komatsu Equipment Co Resident Field Mechanic Sales and Marketing Everready Glass Sales Reps Tucson RegionProfile: Red Hat organizations
2 women's groups unite for food-bank fundraiserSpecial to the Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 01.03.2009
Santa is not the only kind soul who wears a red hat: It's the signature color of two women's groups that are helping to spread cheer this holiday season. The two groups, HiFalutin Red Hatters and Red Hot Flashes, have joined forces to paint The Gaslight Theatre red — figuratively speaking — on Jan. 11 and raise more than $1,800 for the Tucson Community Food Bank.
"We thought making the food bank our focus would touch more people in need than any other individual organization. Everybody needs food," said Sandra Reino, the Queen Mum (president) of the HiFalutin Red Hatters, one of about 30 local Red Hat groups dedicated to sisterhood, social activities and community service for women 50 and older. Women under 50, known as "ladies in waiting," are also welcome to join the groups. Arizona boasts more than 500 Red Hat members.
"It is a big organization that started out with one woman who had a friend who was depressed about turning 50, so she bought her a red hat. There is a poem about how when you get old you can wear red and purple, and the whole thing is based on having fun and doing good," Reino said.
They appear to be accomplishing their mission: The ladies sold every ticket for The Gaslight Theatre's evening performance of "The Ballad of Two-Gun McGraw" on Jan. 11, with proceeds benefiting the Community Food Bank.
"The response has just been tremendous. We sold the house out completely," Reino said. They continue to accept monetary donations for the food bank and will be accepting contributions of both cash and food at the theater on the evening of the performance.
The HiFalutin Red Hatters and Red Hot Flashes provide an excellent example of the ability of small groups to make a big difference through community service, according to Reino.
"There is so much need, and we would just like others to know that it is not that hard to raise money for a good cause and have fun while you are doing it," she said.
Many people are unaware that small donations can make a large impact, according to Jack Parris, public relations manager at the food bank.
"We always use the figure that for every $1 donated to the Community Food Bank, we can distribute $9 worth of food because of our national buying power with Feeding America. We love donated food, but the fact is that we can really stretch a dollar," Parris said.
Stretching every penny is more important than ever, according to Parris. Requests for assistance from the food bank are up 36 percent over this time last year. During November, the organization gave out more than 19,000 supplemental food boxes in Pima County alone.
Supplemental food boxes are designed to help a family with meals for three to four days and include healthy staples such as canned meat, vegetables, soup and fruit as well as peanut butter, cereal, pasta and beans. The boxes are filled through donations from food drives and food bought with monetary contributions.
While the community response to the increased need has been phenomenal, Parris said the agency is struggling to keep up with the demand. Additionally, he is concerned about meeting needs in the upcoming months.
"This is unprecedented. We have never had this much demand before, and our donations drop off in January, February and March, so we try to get enough food and monetary donations during the holidays to carry over through the first quarter of the year," Parris said.
● Contact freelance writer Loni Nannini at ninch2@comcast.net.
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