Christmas is almost here, but itβs not too late to make Santaβs nice list: Several local efforts are making it easy to score some last-minute giving points this holiday season.
If you want to help, consider a contribution to Pop-Cycleβs Xmas Eve Winter Clothing & Food Drive, which begins at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 24, at Pop-Cycle Shop, 422 N. Fourth Ave.
The 24th annual event will begin with a gathering to make sandwiches and assemble more than 200 sack lunches to distribute to homeless people at various parks β Santa Rita, De Anza, and Jacome Plaza at the Joel D. Valdez Main Library β and other locations around the city.
The event originated with the Koenen family, who are long-time Tucson residents.
βWe used to have a Christmas Eve dinner for our family and we had so much left over one year that we started thinking about what other people didnβt have and how much we did have. We decided to take the ham from Christmas Eve and make sandwiches and took them out on Christmas Day to give to people who were in need,β said Deedee Koenen, co-owner of Pop-Cycle with Jennifer Radler and Shannon Riggs.
The following year the giveaway was moved to Christmas Eve; the family shopped for food and collected warm clothing from friends and extended family members to distribute along with the lunches. When Pop-Cycle β a shop dedicated to promoting the work of more than 90 local artists whose creations incorporate recycled materials, reused products and refurbished goods β opened in 2008, the Christmas Eve event expanded further.
βWe decided to cast a broader net and invited anyone who was interested in coming to help. It has been that way for the last 10 years,β said Koenen.
Now, each year hundreds of people contribute and about 100 friends, family members and generous individuals come together on Christmas Eve to caravan and distribute lunches along with jackets, beanies, hats, gloves and other warm clothing and blankets.
Over the years, Koenen said the gifts have gone to a wide variety of people, ranging from those who live on the streets consistently to those who have fallen on hard times and are between homes due to loss of employment, illness or other reasons. She said that they have also helped families who live in their cars, many of whom have children.
βIt isnβt consistent. It ebbs and flows. You never know who will need help. A lot of people know, though, that we are coming and they are ready to tell us what it is they need this year,β she said. Koenen is gratified that while theirs was among the first grassroots effort to provide help for the homeless during the holidays, many others have developed over the years.
βI think Tucson is pretty kind and, as Tucsonans, we are conscientious about collaboration. There is a sense of personal responsibility that doesnβt necessarily happen in other cities, so I think we are pretty lucky,β she said.
Overall, Koenen said the tradition has become a cornerstone of the holidays for many who participate; it also exemplifies the personal philosophy that guides her life and business year-round.
βWe are very blessed and I think it is important that you always give back to community that you are in ... really, as citizens, it is our responsibly to give back. I couldnβt really see not doing this,β she said.
Hope Animal Shelter
If your heart turns toward homeless animals during the holidays, Hope Animal Shelter offers an ideal opportunity to assist those most in need.
The shelter, which was founded 14 years ago by Susan Scherl, has evolved into an animal sanctuary that houses 75 special needs and senior cats and dogs.
βWe are definitely much more of a sanctuary than a shelter. That is what makes us different and why we need constant funding. We canβt turn our animals around and adopt them; at least half of the animals we have will spend the rest of their lives living here since most people donβt want the responsibility of animals with behavioral or medical issues,β said Scherl.
Hope offers other differences as well: The cage-free shelter, which was once a house, dedicates bedrooms to dogs and communal living spaces to cats. The rooms are furnished with donated furniture, and the cat βcommunity roomsβ include built-in shelves where cats can explore and sleep.
The faculty sustained more than $30,000 worth of damage during a monsoon flood in July 2018 and since then, Scherl said that Hope has struggled financially. Repairs are ongoing: Several walls are still in need of repair and the βcat shelvesβ still need to be replaced.
βThe flood caused more long-term problems than we realized. We thought we could just put fresh paint on the walls and it hasnβt worked out that way,β said Scherl.
Scherl, who has funded the shelter for years with her retirement account and is no longer able to do so on her own, is actively seeking corporate and business sponsorships in hopes of creating additional revenue.
Hope is also in the midst of its holiday appeal, through which donors can make one-time or monthly contributions. Scherl said she hopes the public will consider the animals that will benefit.
βThese animals have no where else to go. We house dogs that people canβt handle and cats that other shelters would deem feral but they are not: They are just scared ... but suddenly one day they let us start touching them and that is what makes us keep going. It fills your heart with joy when an animal that was not able to be handled can all of a sudden take our affection and be OK with it,β Scherl said.
