TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — South Tucson community groups are seeing increased demand for food assistance this Thanksgiving as their annual food drive enters its final days.
The month-long food drive, organized by Barrio Restoration and hosted at Moroso Medical Center, is still collecting side dishes, desserts and non-perishable items to complete Thanksgiving meals for local families.
Those items include:
• Stuffing
• Mashed potato mix
• Gravy
• Cranberry sauce
• Pie and desserts
• Canned veggies
• Dinner rolls
• Any other favorite Thanksgiving sides.
While turkeys have been secured, organizers are making a final push for other holiday essentials.
"A lot of people are hungry these days. You know, we just wanna give back to the community," said David Garcia, founder of Barrio Restoration.
Garcia said donations came in quickly once the drive began.
"It only takes a few folks to make something happen, and I think we had, what, 12, 13 turkeys within a few days," Garcia said.
Dr. Heather Moroso, owner of Moroso Medical Center, said they are providing Thanksgiving meals for about 13 families this year. She says the 14th family was only in need of a turkey and insisted they give the sides to another family.
She emphasized that the impact goes beyond food.
"To have meals provided for this holiday weekend, is just a huge breath of relief for a family," Moroso said.
Moroso said she understands the financial stress families face during the holidays.
"To have that pressure off, like, oh, am I going to financially make it? Do I have to put it on the credit card? Do I have enough money in my bank account? I've been there. Super stressful. It's very, very humbling," Moroso said.
The food drive continues through Saturday, with organizers also collecting warm clothing and blankets for Casa Maria Soup Kitchen as winter approaches.
"How can you make a difference? Sometimes it's just by doing good, spreading a little glitter and rainbows and making people and your neighbors smile," Moroso said.
This marks the second year for the South Tucson Thanksgiving food drive. Organizers plan to expand next year to help at least 100 families with their holiday dinners.
Donations can be dropped off at Moroso Medical Center, 2231 S. 4th Ave., through Saturday.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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Jacqueline Aguilar is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born and raised in Yuma, AZ., she is no stranger to the unforgiving Arizona heat. Now this U of A wildcat is excited to be back in Tucson and is looking forward to involving herself in the community. Share your story ideas with Jacqueline by emailing jacqueline.aguilar@kgun9.com or connecting on Facebook, Instagram or X.
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