The Sun City West Pickleball Club, in collaboration with Saini Smiles Dentistry, proudly announces the resounding success of their annual food drive benefiting St. Mary’s Food Bank. With a membership of over 1,800, the club exhibited remarkable unity and compassion by actively participating in this charitable initiative throughout the month of November.
The initiative kicked off with the October Fest Social Play and Cookout Party, a vibrant event sponsored by Saini Smiles Dentistry and the Pickleball Club itself. Saini Smiles Dentistry, driven by a commitment to community welfare, pledged a generous $1,500 donation contingent upon the club collecting a minimum of 4,000 pounds in combined food and dollar contributions. Not only did the Sun City West Pickleball Club meet this goal, but they exceeded it, prompting Saini Smiles Dentistry to elevate their contribution to an impressive $2,000.
Hope Ernst and Linda Pitsch, Pickleball Club Food Drive Coordinators, expressed their gratitude for the overwhelming support. Kelli Clark, representative of St. Mary’s Food Bank, highlighted the significant impact, noting, “Your club just provided 27,175 meals for food-insecure people around the valley! Many of the food items we get are donated, but donations like this make it possible for us to supplement buying items like meat, bread, and vegetables with bulk pricing to create a balanced food cart representing all the food groups.”
From left – Hope Ernst, SCW Pickleball Club Food drive co-chair, Center – Kelli Clark, St. Mary’s representative and Linda Pitsch, SCW Pickleball Club Food drive co-chair,
A small sample of the food donated through the food drive