Harvest Compassion Center Supports Hometown Heroes Toy Drive

CW7 Arizona

Harvest Compassion Center is ‘Food Banking Reimagined!’ HCC's mission is to provide food and clothing in a hope-filled environment to the underserved in the greater Phoenix area.  Providing basic life essentials for families allows each to stay in their homes and pay utilities, helping to reduce homelessness. HCCs are located in North Phoenix, West Phoenix and Maryvale. HCCs strive to be much more than just a local food bank.  For starters, when one walks into our lobby, they see bright colors, kid's pictures on our walls and a children's play area.  Our center is set up like a local mini mart, where guests can shop and choose their desired food, hygiene, baby, and home items with personal shoppers at their disposal.  Likewise, each guest is encouraged to pick out clothing items including undergarments, shoes, socks and more in our clothing boutique.  Giving HOPE to families who have none, offering an ear to listen, and establishing strong client relationships is vital to HCC's mission.  Since opening, HCCs have served over 55,000 families from the local community! HCCs are completely free to the public. For more information visit harvestcompassioncenter.org

Transcript

00:00 The Desert Financial Credit Union Hometown Heroes Toy Drive is in its last stage of the drive and that is getting the toys to families in need.

00:06 And one group who we are very happy to be teaming up with is Harvest Compassion Center.

00:10 And joining me is the founder, Nicole Thompson, to tell us how important this drive is to making sure families have a wonderful Christmas.

00:17 Yes.

00:17 And we love that you're with us.

00:18 Yes.

00:19 Because even without the holidays here, you are taking care of families, aren't you?

00:23 Yes, absolutely. We're just so blessed to be part of this drive, the Hometown Heroes Drive.

00:28 We actually started giving out Christmas toys last week, so on December 4th.

00:32 And we're going to give all the way through Christmas Eve.

00:35 So it's a busy 20 days for us, but we're seeing a reckoned number of families coming in and just asking for a little bit of assistance this holiday season.

00:42 Yeah, and that little assistance goes a long way to actually bring them into a new year with a new perspective on life.

00:48 And that's what the holidays are about and that's what Harvest Compassion Center does.

00:52 Yeah, and Harvest, we're about giving back anyways, right?

00:54 So why not just jazz it up a little bit during the holidays?

00:58 Families are coming into Harvest Compassion Center to receive free groceries, hygiene items, baby items, and clothing.

01:04 But then also, we got Christmas coming around the corner, Hanukkah, right, just kicked off.

01:08 So we want to make sure we're able to give, you know, some of these treats for the kids too.

01:12 And it goes a long way for the families' hope for that new year.

01:15 And just really kind of encourage them as we launch into 2024.

01:18 Yeah, it's amazing.

01:19 Our viewers out there, our sponsors, our partners, the way that they have just given even the small things from just a game,

01:26 just a little board game, to the bigger toys, to a basketball.

01:29 It goes a long way with these kids and also for the parents because it makes them feel a little bit normal with the, of course, craziness in their life.

01:37 And that's what they need right now.

01:39 Yeah, I mean, so many families come in and they're like, "Do you have any toys left?"

01:43 You know, they might come in next week, almost right after Christmas.

01:46 And if we can say yes, you literally see them just like relax and breathe because their budgets are so tight right now.

01:53 They can't, you know, afford a basketball. They can't afford a board game.

01:57 We're always asking for gift cards for teenagers because who knows what the teenagers want.

02:02 So if we can just say, "Here's a $20, you know, gift card to Amazon."

02:06 I mean, it's just like they almost start crying and some do.

02:08 We have tissue at the desk because it's a little bit where then they feel whole, they feel dignified.

02:13 They get to wrap it from mom and dad, grandma and grandpa, or maybe Santa, right?

02:18 And it's from them and they get to have an amazing holiday experience.

02:21 Yeah, let's talk a little bit after the holiday's over because that's where the giving doesn't stop and you guys don't stop.

02:26 It's almost your busiest time coming up in after holidays because you start to see more people where they're coming into the Valley or different things.

02:33 So let's talk about what Harvest Compassion Center does after the holiday season.

02:37 Yeah, absolutely. So the toys is kind of a draw that folks might just hear Harvest Compassion does have toys.

02:42 They might come in just for toys and realize it's a shopping, it's a mini mart, it's a grocery store, it's a clothing store.

02:47 So they're getting everything in. So then these families post holidays are still coming and visit us once every 30 days for this free assistance.

02:55 And it's really about them making new friends into the new year.

02:58 And then we get to hear about their other needs, housing needs, medical needs, maybe job training.

03:02 Right. And we get to connect them in the new year to our other amazing partners, many that you guys work with,

03:08 so they can actually better their hardship and their livelihood as well.

03:11 Yeah. Well, with you just said, going into the year, people are going to be getting gifts and getting clothing.

03:17 So what a perfect place to take the old, you know, gently used clothing to you guys because you take it in all different types of sizes.

03:24 Because a lot of the clothes some of the women come get and some of the men, too, are for job interviews and to pretty much, you know, get to another level in their life.

03:32 Yes. So don't stop giving after the holidays.

03:34 As my kind of my big slogan, right, give in January, give in February. Right. And yes, we get the new stuff.

03:41 My kids have to recycle the old stuff. Right. So come to Harvest Compassion Center.

03:45 Donate. We take all gently used clothing, professional wear, you know, anything you wear during the day.

03:50 Gym shoes and jeans. Those are my my my my cry for help right now because we don't have enough gym shoes and jeans for those that come in.

03:56 So and we will never sell it. We'll donate it.

03:59 It will be washed and laundered and probably ironed and then find a new home with a local family right here in Phoenix.

04:04 Let me do you guys do uniforms? We do school uniforms.

04:07 Absolutely. Because I know that that's so important.

04:09 So for those that have the school uniforms, the kids grow up.

04:12 Absolutely. It's a great place to bring it. And that costs a lot of money.

04:15 My kid can't go to school every day because they're out of dress code.

04:17 Yeah. Right. So if we can have the khakis and the skirts and some of the plaid shirts or just collared shirts.

04:22 So you have it. We want it every single time. There it is.

04:25 I love it. Nicole, tell them where they can find out more about the Harvest Compassion Center.

04:28 Yes. Harvest Compassion Center dot org and then find us on Facebook and Instagram as well.

04:32 There you go. And when's the big run walk?

04:35 That just happened. So we're going to get through toys and then we'll catch you for AZ Gives Day in the spring.

04:40 I like it. Thank you.

04:41 You're welcome.

04:42 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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