Celebrating Two Decades of Community Impact
A local community organization is preparing to celebrate 20 years of significant community impact. With less than a dozen staff members, but more than 170 volunteer shifts every week and a large number of community partners, IMPACT of Southern Arizona invests more than $2.5 million dollars into the community every year, helping thousands of low-to-moderate income individuals and families thrive. IMPACT of Southern Arizona was originally formed 20 years ago as Catalina Community Resource Center and collaborated with several groups working together to provide emergency services to rural Catalina residents. Ten years later, the program offerings and services expanded to become IMPACT of Southern Arizona, serving community members who live north of River Road, from Sabino Canyon, out to Marana, and up through the Copper Corridor of Pinal to the town of Mammoth. The reach of IMPACT includes the towns of San Manuel, and Oracle as well as communities along the edge of the Pima-Pinal border just past the Park Link area.
In the past decade, there has been an added focus on giving community members access to skills and resources that can help them move out of poverty. IMPACT services now include a food bank that provides over 10,000 lbs. of food each week, a Loving Threads clothing bank giving out over 70,000 pieces of clothing, senior programs including meal deliveries, youth support programs, adult education (GED, citizenship, ESL) courses, a job resource program, social service referrals and case management support, as well as workshops and community education opportunities to foster self-sufficiency.
Over 15 years ago, IMPACT partnered with SaddleBrooke Community Outreach, a local nonprofit which provides children's services in Pinal County, to establish the Golden Goose Thrift Shop in Catalina. It was jointly created by the two organizations as a Membership Nonprofit, of which the two organizations are the only members. Each organization elects half the Golden Goose Board Members, and the net proceeds are distributed equally between the two organizations, funding their budgets so they may continue to invest in our communities. Due to the success of the thrift shop, both IMPACT of Southern Arizona and SaddleBrooke Community Outreach are able to continue to grow and make significant improvements in our communities. With more than 17,000 square feet of shopping and sorting floors, there are always wonderful treasures to be found on any day. People come from all over the basin to find great deals on merchandise. Check out their website at www.goldengooseaz.com/. They offer a coupon on a regular basis that can be printed from their website.
