School supplies collected in Quail Creek during the early days of the campaign; photo by Diane Quinn
Diane Quinn
Thanks to the support of Quail Creek residents, Youth On Their Own (YOTO) has received hundreds of school supplies. As a YOTO partner in southern Arizona, The Women of Quail Creek (TWOQC) has helped facilitate the local school supply drive to support YOTO students. Several deliveries of school supplies have been made to YOTO from Quail Creek since July 1, totaling hundreds of items from backpacks to flash drives and scientific calculators. The school supply drive has now come to an end with a finale presentation given by Daniel Armenta, Donor Relations Manager, at the September 25 monthly program. TWOQC and YOTO wishes to express its sincere thanks to the Quail Creek community for its support.
Another project TWOQC has been working on with YOTO will come to a close in late October. Over the last several months, TWOQC members have been submitting recipes to be compiled in a cookbook designed for YOTO participant use. These recipes focus on use of items common to YOTO’s mini-mall/pantry that can be combined and easily prepared using few pieces of cookware. Many of the recipes focus on use of the microwave, a tool readily accessible to most YOTO students.
To enhance the culinary experience of the YOTO students and perhaps expose them to new food flavors, a group of TWOQC members have packed hundreds of spice packets and presented them to YOTO pantry volunteers. With 25 spices to choose from, the YOTO students will be able to take a small packet of spice (1-2 teaspoons) to add to any dish they create. Spices and a draft version of the cookbook were delivered to YOTO recently with the hope that the final version will be ready for release by the October 30 TWOQC membership brunch.
To learn more about Youth On Their Own consult their website, yoto.org. To learn more about TWOQC’s involvement with YOTO, consult the website womenqc.com.