Primavera Cooks! is signature fundraiser for Tucson nonprofit

If you’re in search of a summer food splurge that will feed both your senses and your soul, Paul Koss and other volunteers have a suggestion — the Primavera Cooks! fundraiser.

“The food is always fantastic and I think it makes us feel good that the majority of the money for the dinners is a donation, and the wine, the food and the effort that goes into preparing the meals is all contributed,” said Koss, who has dined with his wife, Mary, at a dinner to benefit the Primavera Foundation every year for the past 15 years.

The dinners, which feature innovative five-course, wine-paired meals in local restaurants, also offer “apprentice chefs” the opportunity to plan and prepare the meals alongside Tucson’s premier chefs. The event has evolved into the signature fundraiser for the foundation, raising more than $2 million over the past 17 years.

Participating restaurants for 2019 include Janos/Carriage House on May 29, Feast on June 19, Reforma on Aug. 7, Tavolino on Aug. 14, Agustín Kitchen on Aug. 28, Contigo on Sept. 4, Pastiche on Sept. 11 and Senae Thai on Sept. 17 and Oct. 1.

This year, Koss is excited to make the transition from diner to apprentice chef at Agustín Kitchen.

“I am really looking forward to it. It is a cooperative effort with everyone to coordinate the meal. I have never really cooked for that number of people or been involved in that kind of food preparation, and I think the whole thing will be fascinating,” said Koss, a retired internal medicine physician.

For Koss and Mary, a regents’ professor in the Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona, Primavera Cooks! is as much about the philanthropy as the food.

“Our vocational interests have been involved with trying to promote social welfare and social justice, so an organization like Primavera was attractive to us because I would say it deals with some social issues that I don’t think are handled particularly well by governmental agencies. We like to support programs that help the homeless and people who are trying to get back into the work force,” said Koss.

The couple says Primavera, which serves nearly 8,000 people annually, is particularly effective in that effort.

“Primavera Foundation is highly rated by Charity Navigator. They have four stars, which is a reflection of the nonprofit organization’s ability to take the money that is donated and actually serve the purpose of the charity. A four-star rating is extraordinarily difficult to achieve,” Koss said.

Primavera offers a wide range of programs and services, including a 100-bed emergency shelter for working men; two drop-in centers for people in need of emergency services (one is the city’s only facility with mail and phone message systems for those without a home address); and family shelters at sites throughout the city.

The scattered-site model allows families to live in safe, affordable housing near work, schools and possible family support to maximize security and stability. Primavera initially takes the lease, which is assumed by individuals or families as they achieve stability.

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“There are 25 safe, affordable options for every 100 low-income individuals or families who need housing, so that means 75 percent of the individuals or families don’t have that option in our community. That is a crisis, and the Primavera Foundation is working to chip away at that statistic,” said JoAnn Salazar, Primavera Foundation’s chief philanthropy officer.

Primavera also provides permanent, affordable rental housing communities including Las Abuelitas, a unique community comprised of individual apartments, a community center and garden designed by and for grandparents raising their grandchildren.

Salazar said Primavera now offers six community gardens at various housing communities in an effort to contribute to camaraderie and sustainability for the residents.

“Providing gardens provides a sense of belonging and purpose. Neighbors come together to tend the gardens and grow their own food, then share the harvest and make meals together,” Salazar said.

“They connect with nature and have a sense of accomplishment and pride in being able to create their own healthy meals with food that they grow. Many people in the desert didn’t grow up learning about gardening, but it is such an important part of the cycle of life, growth and community.”

In addition to housing support and other services, the nonprofit offers Primavera Works, which provides job readiness training and job placement assistance as a pathway out of poverty.

Salazar said Primavera assists a diverse population, from those working to break generational cycles of poverty and those who have experienced a financial economic crisis — ranging from unexpected layoffs or health crises that may have resulted in homelessness — to those battling substance-abuse or behavioral-health challenges and those re-entering the workforce after incarceration.

However, all Primavera clients share a common bond, according to Salazar.

“These are our neighbors, and they do the heavy lifting. We meet people wherever they are along the spectrum, but they do the hard work to achieve sustainability and security. Everyone who invests in our Primavera community opens the door for them,” she said.

Salazar emphasized Primavera Cooks! offers a unique opportunity for investment across the board.

“We are not just having dinners that feed people wonderful, delicious and locally-sourced foods, but we are feeding the hearts and souls of our neighbors across the community. That is really what Primavera Cooks! is all about: It is people from every walk of the community coming together to invest in the strength and vitality of community in an inclusive and intentional way,” she said.