Community Partnership: Project AZUL & Santa Cruz Lutheran Food Bank
We gratefully acknowledge guest blogger Joanie Contreras from Santa Cruz Lutheran, Tucson, for submitting this article, and to Nathan Watts and team from Sahuarita Food Bank & Community Resource Center for their partnership.
Santa Cruz is ready for AZUL.
Hello and greetings from Santa Cruz Lutheran Church and food bank, located in the sunny rural southwest side of Tucson, Arizona. We opened our food ministry in January of 2011 and have partnered with the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona for 13 years. Our pantry has really grown over the years, and we have had so very many blessings come our way through each and every step.
Without the constant support of our loving and caring volunteers, the many grants that have funded us, and donations from our Santa Cruz family, we wouldn’t have such a wonderful resource for our community.
The Project AZUL trailer pulls up…
In May of 2023, I received a call from Nathan Watts from the Sahuarita Food Bank & Community Resource Center. located around 17 miles from us. Nathan was about to embark on a wonderful rural resource adventure named Project AZUL (Arizona Uniting Lives) and wanted to know if our Santa Cruz Lutheran food bank would like to be a part of it! Director Carlos Valles from the Sahuarita Food Bank had heard good things about our rural food bank, so he felt we would be a great fit to help them get the kinks out of their new traveling rural classroom. This partnership has been a blessing and has brought so very many resources to our food ministry.
Nathan and Juan Arredondo brought their mobile classroom, the University of Arizona mobile clinic, Goodwill (education/job classes), Pima County “One Stop,” and the Governor’s office to our food bank. Each Wednesday for one month, Nathan and Juan contacted each client face-to-face with a survey to get their opinion on what our community's needs are. This survey has been a huge blessing for us at Santa Cruz Lutheran Church and our ongoing ministry. Thank you, Sahuarita Food Bank, for sharing your talents and resources.
Juan and Ana from Pima Co. One Stop doing surveys and referrals
Presently we serve over 150 families each Wednesday. We are in the midst of facing yet another blessing heading our way. Santa Cruz Lutheran Church will soon be surrounded by 214 new homes currently being built. With that in mind, we are in the process of revisiting God’s Vision and Mission for our church.
“A lot of churches wonder how they can increase their impact in the neighborhood around the church, and Santa Cruz Lutheran Church with their food bank and abundant “Yes!” to Project AZUL provides a great model of success”, shares Nathan. “We are in our first year of service and Santa Cruz Lutheran Church provided us the space to experiment with our new mobile unit and at the same time help expand the services they provide in addition to emergency food. We’ve been able to explore how Santa Cruz Lutheran Church can continue to meet the needs of their neighbors and go some steps further in addressing the root causes of food insecurity and nutrition related health problems. Project AZUL has helped Santa Cruz Lutheran Church see what’s possible for themselves, for the neighbors they have now and the neighbors that will be moving in around the church. A little bit of energy, commitment and a lot of “yes’s!” can do wonders. We are committed to helping Santa Cruz Lutheran Church achieve their goals and increase the quality of life for residents on the southwest side of Tucson.”
U of A Mobile Health Unit open for preventative health screening
We at Santa Cruz Lutheran Church would like to grow in serving our community by offering various classes and by hosting GED classes, resume writing, parenting classes, job search skills, computer skills, and ESL classes. Keep us in your prayers and keep your eyes open for any funding ideas to help purchase supplies and equipment we will need to fulfill our “God’s Work Our Hands” vision.
Love, peace and joy,
Joanie and Nathan