Maggie de Block and Mary Ann Alvarez gathered gifts SaddleBrooke residents purchased and wrapped for delivery to children on the San Carlos Apache Reservation.

The SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) Adopt-a-Child and Adopt-a-Family programs again brightened the holidays for local families and children. Very generous donors from SaddleBrooke and SaddleBrooke Ranch contributed $68,522 to bring holiday cheer to local families. In addition to generous donors, the program owes a huge debt to the volunteer shoppers and wrappers who contributed their time and energy to buy the gifts and get them all wrapped, packaged and labeled for on-time delivery. We also want to thank the unit and group coordinators who are the heart and soul of this operation. They kept everyone on schedule. Without the volunteers’ dedication, these programs could never succeed.

In 2021, Adopt-a-Family provided assistance to 115 families. SaddleBrooke residents adopted 58 families from San Manuel. The Adopt-a-Child Program gave 179 children a happier holiday with clothing and toys. These children are from the Rice Intermediate School and Tribal Social Services (TSS) located on the San Carlos Apache Reservation. In addition, $5,000 in gift cards were purchased for distribution through the Ray School District.

SaddleBrooke Ranch residents adopted 57 families and 154 children from Oracle. For the health and safety of everyone, the Ranchers purchased gift cards this year instead of wrapped gifts: 154 $100 Walmart gift cards for the children and 57 $75 Basha’s cards for the families. They also purchased $738 worth of toys for the Tri Community Food Bank in Mammoth.

As a reminder for the coming year, SBCO is a 501 c3 not for profit organization. Contributions to SBCO, a qualifying charitable organization, are also eligible for the Arizona Tax Credit for contributions to charities that provide assistance to the working poor. You can find more information in AZ Pub 710. If you have questions, please contact your tax advisor.

We wish you all a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year!


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