From left: Al and Kathy Olbeter, Quail Creek Veterans Golf Association charity chairpersons; Pat Neel, TWOQC president; and Tessie Hagerich, TWOQC VA Clothing Drive chairperson.
Cindy Mayron
On Oct. 19, 124 volunteers—The Women of Quail Creek (TWOQC) members and their husbands, the Quail Creek community, and eight JROTC Sahuarita High School students—helped accept, unload, sort, and pack up 244 boxes of donations. The boxes were loaded into a 15 ft U-Haul truck donated by the Quail Creek Veterans Golf Association (QCVGA), two SUVs (that helped transport the boxed items to the VA Center in Tucson), and VA Committee member Peggy McGee’s sedan which was filled with “no room to spare” in the trunk, front, and back seats with toiletries, calendars, cards, and reading glasses.
“We also want to thank the Quail Creek Patrol that helped us transport the eight donated bicycles up to Tucson, and Epi Torres, Quail Creek director of Banquets and Events, and her staff for their help with the tables and chairs and providing coffee for our volunteers,” said Tessie Hagerich, VA Drive chair.
“Our team leaders worked from 7 a.m. to noon setting up the tables and donation areas and then tearing it all down. Volunteers worked from 8 a.m. to noon helping accept donations as people drove through the Creative Arts and Tech Center parking lot. “It was a smooth operation as cars were directed through the parking lot by volunteers and back out onto the street,” she added.
The donations of men’s clothing, shoes, accessories, kitchen/household items dropped off in bags and boxes were unloaded, sorted, and reboxed for transport to Tucson. Also, ten large plastic storage containers were donated. Thirty-two kitchen-sized bags of women’s clothing (which the VA wasn’t accepting this year) went to The Animal League, which included two boxes of women’s shoes, one large box of hangers. Nine kitchen bags were donated to Women Warriors, and 15 boxes of items and several miscellaneous household items were donated to the Cancer Society Garage Sale. In addition, 76 non-perishable food items were collected, and a $500 check from the QCVGA and $294.10 in cash was dropped into the donation jar.
“TWOQC extends a heartfelt thanks to the TWOQC VA Drive Committee, TWOQC members and their husbands, the Quail Creek community, and the JROTC for their volunteer hours on Oct. 19. Also, thanks to the Quail Creek Veterans Golf Association for their generous donation of the U-Haul truck and check, and to everyone who contributed donations to benefit our very deserving Homeless Veterans,” Hagerich added.