Happy New Year!

As I send you my best wishes for a wonderful 2017, I hope that you'll please keep AAP – Food Samaritans in mind for a last-minute year-end donation by clicking here, or consider purchasing your tickets for our upcoming Evening Under the Stars (just voted 'Best Fundraising Event' by Desert Sun readers) or one of our other events, all of which have tax-deductible portions so you may include these contributions in your 2016 taxes.

As we begin the New Year, it is a time to look back on our past accomplishments and future goals.  At AAP – Food Samaritans, we are pleased to look back on 2016 – our 25th year of service to the community – and know that despite lower than anticipated donations, we were still able to continue to provide our important monthly food vouchers to our client base without interruption.  

Each month, the total number of clients we support varies. During the summer months, some clients temporarily move away to avoid the heat, but we always ensure that they are able to resume the food vouchers when they return. It is the same with our clients who are hospitalized due to their chronic illness. Some months, we have a lesser burden than others, but every month we make sure that our clients to receive nutritional support and live with the dignity that they deserve.

As we look ahead to 2017, our goals include expanding our services by adding new clients who have been on our waiting list. We encourage you to let us know if you know of people who may be eligible and in need of our services.

Adding new clients means that we need to increase our funding to ensure that each client is supported every month. Perhaps you have been considering joining our Jeannette Rockefeller Angel Program. Well, now is the time to make a New Year’s resolution to commit to this important program with a regular monthly contribution. Know that your donations directly support the members of our community that need help the most.
 
Thank you all for your continuing support, and thank you in advance for your support in 2017. Please know that every donation you make to our organization is important, and appreciated.

Wells Fargo, the January Sponsor of the Month, has once again issued a $75,000 grant to AAP – Food Samaritans. Your 2017 contribution can help us grow this amount by matching any amount of the Wells Fargo donation. Please call us at (760) 325-8481 for more details about how you can participate.

Mark Anton

PS – If you have made contributions to us in 2016 and require documentation for your federal tax statements, please contact us at your earliest convenience.