Thanksgiving meal being organized for Ahwatukee homeless

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Thanksgiving meal being organized for Ahwatukee homeless

by Coty Dolores Miranda - Nov. 2, 2010 11:01 AM
Special for The Republic

In the 27 years Fran Clarida has lived in Ahwatukee, she has never seen so many of her neighbors in need.

She's not alone.

As parish manager of St. Benedict Catholic Church, Clarida is a member of the 8-month-old Ahwatukee Faith and Community Leaders Initiative, a group representing Ahwatukee churches, civic groups and the Foothills Chamber of Commerce that have organized to help Ahwatukee families in need.

Under the umbrella of Ahwatukee-based Connecting to Serve, the initiative is seeking donations from village residents to help host an inaugural Thanksgiving dinner for 120 local residents.

"Our homeless aren't just living in the streets anymore, they're living amongst us. We have so many who've lost their homes or are out of work. I look around, and I'm very much aware how different it is economically," said Clarida, whose husband, a design engineer, was job hunting for 10 months.

"I've even learned a new term - couch surfing; it describes people who've lost their homes and now stay with family or friends. There are a lot of people doing that. And I was amazed to learn how many homeless families are in the Kyrene School District."

Amanda Hamm, Kyrene School District prevention manager, estimated there are 100 more homeless students than last October.

Sheila Coonen, founder and executive director of Connecting to Serve, now housed in the Ahwatukee Chamber of Commerce offices, said the Ahwatukee Faith and Community Leaders Initiative is a group of eight area churches, 10 non-profits, the Kyrene School District, chamber and others who are pooling their knowledge and resources to "plug the holes that need to be filled."

Coonen began meeting with church pastors, civic clubs and others after being approached by St. Benedict's Rev. Gary Regula.

As founder of Connecting to Serve, Coonen, a registered nurse, has solid organizational experience: she founded the Parish Nurse Program in Phoenix and helped develop the statewide Nurse Ministries Network.

"Many Ahwatukee pastors didn't even know each other. With resources drying up, we need to know each other and plug the holes that need to be filled. Together, there are enough resources for us to get things done," said Coonen, who established Connecting to Serve three years ago. "In less than eight months, we have over 30 active participants."

The Thanksgiving Day dinner, expected to serve 125 people or approximately 25 area families, will be held at an undisclosed Ahwatukee restaurant. Modeled on the former Rock Bottom Brewery Christmas Day Dinner, it will be white-linen service and traditional holiday fare.

Not disclosing the dinner site will help needy families maintain their self-esteem, Coonen said.

"We feel it's important - some of these people have never been without before now," she said.

For its first Thanksgiving dinner, the Ahwatukee Faith and Community Leaders Initiative is keeping the number served purposely small.

"I call this our beta test - we'll see how it goes with a smaller group then hopefully enlarge it next year," Clarida said. "We're paying for the food, and we'll give each family a gift. We'd like to have them walk away with a gift card so they can use it for something they need."

Volunteers are already stepping up, but it's monetary donations or grocery store gift cards the group needs most to make the dinner happen. They estimate it could run $2,000.

Donations are accepted at the Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce, 10235 S. 51st St., Phoenix, AZ 85044. Contact AFCLI member Linda Jochim at 602-690-0427 or through www.ConnectingtoServe.org

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