3 days Ago By Tina Giuliano
TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The crinkle of 100 paper sack lunches rang through one Eastside neighborhood as Deb Balderas and her family loaded each one into their cars. Along with the sack lunches, they loaded up 100 brightly colored drawstring backpacks that they had filled up with items like toothpaste and a first aid kit.
“Even though we started with 100 we actually have a lot more things to be able to give away,” Balderas said. The team rolled out of their driveway with a plan: to hand out the items to as many people in need as possible. They stopped at intersections and random sidewalks across town before setting up a table at Santa Rita Park.
"If they’re interested, we’ll hand them a backpack and a sack lunch, the blanket and the tarps,” she said. Balderas said this year was the first time they've distributed backpacks but they've made lunches before. “Several years ago we just started off making lunches," she said.
“This year we decided to take it to a whole new level.” In Pima County, the 2024 Annual Point and Time count shows that over two thousand people, including adults and kids, were experiencing homelessness. Balderas said it's something that tugs on her heartstrings and she just wants to help.
“I think it's really sad when I see all these individuals that don’t have homes and I get even more sad when they’re veterans,” she said. She got a lot of the items donated from community members, she said. Next year, she hopes their project will keep growing and she encourages others to do their part.
"I think you have to start somewhere," she said. "Start little.” ——- Tina Giuliano is a reporter for KGUN 9 .
She is a native Arizonan and grew up in Scottsdale. Tina is passionate about storytelling and is excited to work telling Tucson's stories. Share your story ideas and important issues with Tina by emailing tina.
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