TruWest Credit Union renovates resource pantry for college students in need
TruWest Credit Union has partnered with Mesa Community College (MCC) to refurbish its free-market pantry for students in need and support success in higher education. The “Mesa Market” is a food and resource pantry accessible to Mesa Community College students. The Tempe-based credit union worked cooperatively with MCC on the project by renovating the space over the course of five days. The upgrade included tearing out cabinets, adding new tile, painting the walls, adding shelving to store food, wall lettering and the addition of a Mesa Market sign on the front door. TruWest also provided volunteer assistance and helped to stock the shelves with in-kind donations.
According to a study by the Hope Center for College, Community and Justice, 48 percent of community college students who responded to the center’s survey are food insecure.
“Our mission is to see students succeed in all aspects of life and in order to do so we need to provide them with the proper resources,” said Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer of TruWest Credit Union, Gary Bernard. “Refurbishing this market from start to finish has been an incredible experience and we are so grateful for the opportunity we get to play in assisting these students to receive the help they need in order to achieve a higher education.”
All students can receive up to 10 nonperishable food items and five hygiene products per week. Clothing items are also available, depending on donation inventory. Students need to show their student ID in order to shop at the market, but no other compensation is required.
“We want MCC students to know we care for them and providing food and clothing in Mesa Market is one of the ways we demonstrate our commitment to their success,” said Lori Berquam, Mesa Community College interim president. “Through TruWest’s generous support we now have a beautiful, high functioning and fully stocked Mesa Market and clothing closet. Students tell us that the Market makes a difference in their lives and helps them to better focus their energy on education.”
The Mesa Market is located in the Kirk Student Center (KSC) 173 at the Southern and Dobson campus and is open Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Four Peaks unveils new brew for the 2020 baseball season
The Arizona Diamondbacks and Tempe-based Four Peaks Brewing Co. have teamed up to bring fans a brand new beer for the 2020 baseball season. Rattle On Red Ale—a smooth, toasty ballpark beer brewed to pair with peanuts, dogs, and dingers—debuted in Arizona this week and will be available at Diamondbacks games throughout the 2020 season.
“Diamondbacks fans know it better than anyone else: A good beer is an essential part of any ball game,” says Four Peaks founder and head brewer Andy Ingram. “We wanted to give them a beer that would take the fan experience to the next level whether they’re watching the D-Backs at home, at a bar, or at Chase Field.”
Rattle On is a 4.5% ABV, smooth, delightfully toasty ale brewed to enjoy while watching America’s pastime. The can features design elements from this year’s D-Backs jerseys as well as the team’s colors and iconic rattlesnake logo.
Four Peaks Brewing Co. and the Arizona Diamondbacks have been partners for years. Not only is Four Peaks beer available at food stations and kiosks throughout Chase Field, but the brewery also sponsors the Four Peaks Draft Room, a full-service restaurant overlooking right field that features the best selection of craft beer found in any MLB stadium. The brewery also runs the “Four Peaks, Four Seats” contest, giving fans a chance to win premium tickets to Diamondbacks home games by visiting local retailers.
“Rattle On is a truly collaborative effort between Four Peaks and the Diamondbacks,” Ingram says. “Every aspect of this beer—the recipe, the name, the label design—was decided in meetings at the brewery and the ballpark. We’re proud to work with the team to release a beer specifically designed for D-Backs fans, and we can’t wait for them to try it.”
To learn more about Rattle On Red Ale, visit fourpeaks.com/rattleon.
PetSmart finds 32,985 pets homes during adoption weekend
Over the weekend, North Americans welcomed 32,985 adoptable pets into their homes during PetSmart Charities’ first National Adoption Weekend event of the year held at PetSmart stores across the U.S. and Canada – making it the most successful National Adoption Weekend since the event was initiated by PetSmart Charities and PetSmart over 25 years ago. With the help of nearly 4,000 animal welfare organizations and thousands of people willing to open their hearts and homes to pets in need, PetSmart and PetSmart Charities found homes for a wide variety of pets including dogs, cats and small animals, such as rabbits and guinea pigs.
“Beyond achieving record-breaking adoptions during this National Adoption Weekend, the important thing is so many pets found the forever homes and families they deserve,” said Chris McCurdy, interim president of PetSmart Charities. “National Adoption Weekends are truly a collaboration of our animal welfare partners and associates that connects these pets with their future families. We couldn’t be more proud these efforts have found homes for over 9.2 million pets in our 25 year history.”
During each National Adoption Weekend, held four times a year, PetSmart Charities invites local humane societies, SPCAs and pet rescue organizations to bring adoptable pets into PetSmart stores across North America so they have the best chance of finding a forever home. While the event is called PetSmart Charities National Adoption “Weekend,” it spans the entire week with the majority of the pets – nearly 20,000 – adopted between Friday and Saturday when many stores host large tented parking lot events with their local adoption partners allowing them to connect adoptable pets with their forever families.
PetSmart and PetSmart Charities congratulate the Hattiesburg, MS store that adopted out the most pets in the U.S. during the week-long event. The efforts of the Hattiesburg store and its adoption partners helped find loving homes for 207 deserving pets.
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