St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance

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Jewel in the Desert, October 4 The Tempe Historical Museum and the Block Party planning committee will present an exhibit and a block party celebrating the local Muslim community at the City Hall gallery, 31 East Fifth Street.
The exhibit, to coincide with the celebration of the Eid ul Fitr (Feast of Fasting), the Jewel in the Desert: Getting Acquainted with our Muslim Neighbors exhibit will open October 3.

The exhibit component will feature
* The history of Muslims in Arizona
* The diversity of local Muslims
* Local Muslims as valued community members
* Tenets of Islam
* The Muslim community's challenges and successes

There will also be a community Block Party on October 4 to celebrate the exhibit opening.
Combining an exhibit with a Block Party will provide the sights, sounds, tastes and touches that bring history alive. With its authentic presentations honoring Muslim heritage, this first-time Block Party will introduce the larger community to the Muslim culture and history. This event will feature live entertainment featuring dancers, musicians, and choirs. In addition, the Block Party will offer a tour of the local mosque as well as traditional food, clothing, and novelty items for sale. Info: (480) 350-5100.

October 7, 7 to 9 p.m. Changing Hands Bookstore Presents St. Mary's Food Bank Wine Tasting Benefit with Author Barbara Metzler Changing Hands Bookstore and St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance welcome Barbara Metzler, author of Passionaries: Turning Compassion into Action, at Kokopelli Bistro and Winery in Chandler. Have you ever wondered how one person can really make a difference? Passionaries answers that question with vivid, true stories of extraordinary social entrepreneurs turning their passions into action. Metzler captures an unsung movement unique to American culture with true stories of more than 35 individuals, ages 6 to 89, who served as inspiration and guides.

A percentage of the proceeds will be donated to St. Mary's Food Bank. Cost: $75 per person, includes book, two drink tickets, and light hors d'oeuvres. Registration and pre-payment required. Info: (480) 730-0205.

October 25, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Skunk Creek Community Market. New Hope Covenant Church, its sponsor, at 8217 Country Gables Drive, Peoria. This family event will have plenty to attract all ages. This market will offer produce for sale as well as a range of arts and crafts booths, music and cotton candy. Entertainment such as face painting and a bounce castle will be provided as well. St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance will be a key presence at a booth manned by food bank volunteers. Visitors are asked to bring a donation of non-perishable food. Those who participate will be eligible for a door prize drawing. Info: (623) 412-2234.

October 30 5 to 8 p.m. Pumpkins at the Peak at The Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak The Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak at the River Ranch is holding Pumpkins at the Peak, a benefit for St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance, where families can enjoy more than 20 activities for kids of all ages, including photo booths, a costume contest, and an assortment of food and beverages. The Joshua Stone Band and the Phoenix Fire Department will lend their support as well. Don't forget! Admission is $5 per person or 2 cans of non-perishable food. All proceeds go to St. Mary's Food Bank! For more on The Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak, visit here.

November 22 2nd Annual Super Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. This one-day turkey drive event will collect thousands of turkeys for the food boxes distributed during the holidays. St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance has teamed with Vestar Properties to offer drive-thru and walk-in drop off stations at the following locations:

-Desert Ridge Marketplace, Phoenix
-Tempe Marketplace, Tempe
-Sundance Towne Center, Buckeye

Incentives will be given to donors who participate, so mark your calendars today to provide food to the families and individuals who would go without a meal this holiday season.

Tempe Thanksgiving Block Party November 27, 6 to 10pm:
Perfect for families, this event is at the Tempe Sports Complex and will include rides, food, music, and fireworks. Entrance fee is a canned food item for the Food bank. Various vendors and Miss Arizona 2008 will be there as well!

August-December 6, 2008 The Big 12 Alumni Food Drive
Last year the Big 12 Alumni group of Arizona donated 3,200 cans of food to benefit St.Mary's Food Bank Alliance. This year, the goal is 4,000 cans.
* Iowa State Alumni meet at Sugar Daddy's, 3102 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale and Legends Bar & Grill, 3655 W. Anthem Way, D-115 (Safeway Plaza)
* Missouri Alumni meet at Frasher's, 2122 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale
* Nebraska Alumni meet at Arena Sports Grill, 6245 E Bell Road, Scottsdale
* 20800 N John Wayne Pkwy 101, Maricopa
* Skip & Jan's Sports Bar, 7700 S. Priest, Tempe
* Max Sports Grille, 7134 E. Thomas Road, Scottsdale
* Texas A&M and Texas Tech Alumni meet at Duke's Sports Bar and Grill, 7607 E. McDowell Road, Scottsdale.
* Kansas Alumni meets at Upper Deck, 4224 N. Craftsman Court, Scottsdale
* Kansas State Alumni meet at San Felipe's Cantina, 2000 E. Rio Salado Parkway, Tempe
For each 10 cans of food or $10 a person donates, they are eligible to complete a drawing slip to be entered for prize drawings. The most needed items of food include canned tuna, salmon, chicken, ham, soups, stew, chili, fruits and vegetables, canned and packaged beans, pasta, macaroni and cheese, rice, peanut butter or juice. For more information contact Frank Bonner (Resource Development) rfbonner@FirstFoodBank.org, Ernesto Ortiz (Food Resource Developer), exortiz@FirstFoodBank.org or Kara Ritter (Communications Specialist) at kjritter@FirstFoodBank.org

Click for Cans
Tackle hunger head-on this football season with the NFL, Campbell's Chunky Soup and St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance. Visit www.chunky.com to compete in Click for Cans, a national food drive that benefits food banks. NFL teams are pitted online against the same opponents they face during the NFL season in weekly match-ups. Click on your team every day to make sure the team with the most votes wins. This means souper donations of soups like Classic Chicken Noodle, made with lean meat protein, for local communities. At the end of the regular season, AFC and NFC teams will compete in the Click for Cans Playoff. The winner will determine the ultimate prize: thousands of cans of soup for their local food bank.