One Bag At A Time: One Year Later
It’s been a little over a year now since our last “One Bag At A Time” blog post, so we wanted to take a moment today to provide an update on our fight against homelessness in the Phoenix, Arizona area! Thank you all for your interest in our efforts and we hope this article inspires you to contribute alongside us at a future event or within our community in your own way!
Creating Smiles in Phoenix
When Andy Hobaica & Vice President Ted Young first began “One Bag At A Time” over four years ago, they had absolutely no idea just how monumental these events would become. To be fair, none of us did.
But with a deep dedication to the Phoenix homeless community, a substantial amount of paperwork at the hands of Ted, and a little help from their neighbors, friends, and family, they have turned their little bag handout into a thriving, monthly community effort with an official 501c3 status!
Our Local Phoenix Partnerships In The Fight Against Homelessness
We have several new partners this year, which makes for a pretty exciting time out at each and every event! Without the generosity of all of these sponsors our efforts would not be nearly as impactful as they are, so thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
The Glam Closet: We have been so honored to have another non-profit, The Glam Closet, owned by Leah Armstrong & Caprice Amerine, join us out at our events this spring/summer providing blankets and clothing to our community! It is truly a blessing to be able to offer individuals in need a variety of assistance from food and water to toiletries and now clothing! Thank you The Glam Closet for all your efforts, they do not go unnoticed!
Kohls: Huge “Thank You” in order for Kohls Arizona for their philanthropic efforts in collaboration with One Bag At A Time. We can’t thank them enough for their commitment to our community and our cause and the volunteer hours and monetary donations we receive from them on a regular basis has allowed us to provide more assistance than we ever thought possible!
Pepsi: Pepsi has providing cases of water and Gatorade for our homeless community through our organization for quite some time now and we couldn’t be more appreciative of their commitment to our community. These hot summer temperatures can cause extreme complications if coupled with dehydration, so their contributions are undoubtedly saving lives!
Aside from these fantastic new partnerships, One Bag At A Time would also like to shout out our most faithful supporters, Louis & Jane Hobaica of Hobaica Services! They deserve some serious props for their role in these events over the years and we could not be more grateful for their contributions and support.
From free warehouse space at Hobaica Services to volunteering their precious personal time, their impact is invaluable. As Andy said himself, “I could not ask for better parents. They come to every single event and are the most supportive and caring people I know.”
Donations & Event Volunteers!
Your small gesture could mean the world to someone in need, especially with the extreme temperatures of the Phoenix summer heat. And as our events continue to grow larger, the lines of those waiting to receive assistance grow longer. If you are in the position to do so, please consider joining us at our next event or contributing to our cause!
We guarantee you will not only be moved by the kindness & generosity of our community, but the appreciation of those who come to seek our help. One of our volunteers explains the feeling best in a comment he made on the One Bag At A Time Facebook Page.
“Today’s heart string moment came when a sweet lady asked if she could have the mini Tabasco sauce. She was so excited and said that it’s been a long time since she had Tabasco sauce and giggled as she walked away. Small things make such a big impact to people who have very little. Thank you for your good work Andy!” – Jonathan Lucero
Please take a moment to visit last year’s “One Bag At A Time” blog post to find a list of potential items that are of the highest demand or visit our go fund me page. to support our cause through monetary donations. If you can’t help directly, your connections may, so please considering sharing our post with your network!
If you’re interested in contributing or joining in on our monthly efforts, keep an eye on our One Bag At A Time Facebook Page for the next event date! Any and all assistance is welcome and we look forward to new faces every month!
