Page 38 July 2014 The heat is on: Summer takes a toll on nonprofit groups By Michelle Donati-Grayman Whether from work or school, summer is often synonymous with people taking a break. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case for valley nonprofits. Rather, summer is one of the most challenging times of year for charities that provide support services to Arizonans who need it the most. The Valley’s brutal temperatures put food banks, shelters and animal welfare organizations to the test every summer. Food Banks St. Mary’s Food Bank distributes as many as 40,000 emergency food boxes each month, a number that increases during the summer. “Without a doubt, summer is the most difficult time of year for food banks,” said Jerry Brown, director of public relations for St. Mary’s Food Bank. “About 40 percent of our public donations come in November and December. The problem with that is we feed people 365 days a year.” During the summer, the number of people that donate to St. Mary’s Food Bank goes down, while the number that needs food increases. This is in large part due to increased utility bills, which force families to pull from their food budgets to keep their homes cool. Aside from food, the agency also wants more volunteers during the summer months. “We have to turn volunteers away in November and December,” Brown said. “In June, July and August, we’re hurting for volunteers to help us.” The food bank, which is one of the largest in the country, employs about 150 full-time employees. It relies heavily on volunteers to sort, pack and distribute food to its clients. “There’s no way we could do what we do without volunteers,” Brown said. “Without them, we would need another 150 employees to do the work that our volunteers do every day.” Shelter Services In addition to food, the need for shelter also increases during Arizona summers. Central Arizona Shelter Services (CASS) provides shelter and support services for individuals and families experiencing homelessness in Maricopa County. The agency provides shelter for about 1,000 individuals and families per night. During extreme heat conditions, CASS can see up to an additional 200 people in need of shelter. “By July, we have hot days and hot nights,” said Lindsey Roberts, communications manager for CASS. “It makes sleeping on the concrete unbearable.” During the summer, the agency must come up with money to open additional beds as well as increased utility and medical costs to treat heat-related illness. It also desperately needs bottled water. Roberts described it as shifting into summer survival mode. “We have to shift our resources to provide these things for our clients,” Roberts said. “For the homeless population, it can be a matter of life and death.” Homeless Pets The need doesn’t stop with homeless individuals. According to the Arizona Animal Welfare League (AAWL), summer also presents challenges for homeless pets. Chico is a playful Australian shepherd mix puppy looking for a forever home. Arcadia High School’s National Honor Society assemble food boxes at St. Mary’s Food Bank. Local companies like White Water supply CASS with more than 26,000 bottles of water every year. St. Mary’s Food Bank Needs: Canned and nonperishable food items, volunteers, financial contributions www.firstfoodbank.org Central Arizona Shelter Needs: Summer clothing, bottled water, financial contributions www.cassaz.org Arizona Animal Welfare Needs: Volunteers, foster homes, forever homes, financial contributions. www.aawl.org Both donations and volunteers tend to shrink during the summer months, according to Judith Gardner, president and CEO of the AAWL. The AAWL provides shelter for about 300 dogs and cats per day in need of adoption. While outdoor activities are limited during the summer because of the elements, the agency relies on volunteers to play with and socialize animals through enrichment programs indoors. Summer also increases the need of short-term foster homes to help get the Valley through each spring and summer’s population boom of kittens. The commitment is minimal, as volunteers are asked to take kittens in their homes for one to two weeks until they are 8 weeks old or weigh 2 pounds and can be placed for adoption. Even though the AAWL found homes for more than 4,400 animals last year, the organization seeks forever homes for animals year-round. “We never find a time that we’re not full,” Gardner said. “Summer is a great time to bring a new pet into your home.”

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