Feeding our Youth, at the Mesa Boys and Girls club

On October 28th, the Mesa Boys and Girl's Club contacted Clean Air Cab to see if we could possibly donate 30 turkeys and our time to give them a Thanksgiving dinner on November 22nd.

Despite the time crunch and the large amount of turkeys that we needed to provide for, members of Clean Air Cab's very own Green Team found a way.

The miracle came in the form of two women, Julie Renshaw and Tia Renshaw who are related to Glenn Thopsey, a hardworking man at Clean Air Cab.

 They provided the funds that allowed Clean Air Cab to obtain 30 turkeys.

 

Steve Lopez, the owner of Clean Air Cab, along with the individuals at Mesa Boys and Girls club cannot even begin to express their gratitude.

 Want to know what 30 turkeys looks like in a Prius?

so did we.... what do you think? 

Because I think that much turkey is a beautiful sight, and not just because I am a conisour of fine foods, or a meatatarian; it is because that food was donated for a good cause, for our youth, your children.

I cannot forget to mention our mascot was there.

This was Lily's first time volunteering, and as you can see...

she was exactly in her element.

Why did we chose to volunteer at the Mesa Boys and Girls Club?

because great futures start here.

interested in finding out more about this club? you can start by clicking

here.

now to the story of our service....

this is the feasting hall.

If we were vikings I would compare it to Valhalla;

but since we are not...

I will call it gym-converted-into-place-of-feasting

we were punctual. too punctual. We set up, and then forced them to give us another task

that task?

slicing pie into 200+ pieces

I doubt mass produces conveyer belts could work with the speed

or precision that we managed that night.

This is Tina.... Tina did not want her picture to be taken.

so I made sure she had a solo shot.

Tina, you deserve to be appreciated.

LOOK. Brianna's hand's are moving so swiftly, not even my hiteck

iphone could capture her movement.

I guess you could say we were SUPER-volunteers.

finally, we began the assembly line of food to be delivered to the children and their families.

People from all over the valley had come together to make this event happen.

As the families arrived and the food was laid out, it began to feel like Thanksgiving.

of course we mostly slaved away in the food area, but that is what good volunteers do right?

The lovely woman in the black shirt is Brittany. She is kind of a superstar...

especially when she hands out the turkey.

our mascot, and her lovely mommy

(who also happens to be the general manager at Clean Air Cab).

At this event, we had Clean Air Cab employees and friends alike,

joining in a cause to help the community.

When I see the hands on this sign,

I know that the future requires friendship, trust in a better tomorrow, and help from those around us.

This Thanksgiving, at Clean Air Cab, we are thankful to be part of the solution.

what are you thankful for?

Treasures 4 Teachers

Everyone talks about the problems with the education system in America, and on a more personal level, Arizona. Teachers are underpayed, budget cuts are a common occurance, and the lack of respect we have have for those who teach and inspire us is atrocious.

Here are some facts you might not have known about the education system:

On average, every year teachers in America spend $500 to $1,200 out of their own salaries on school supplies for their students, sometimes even as much as $4,000. How can students learn and become productive members of society without the basic essentials for learning like paper, pencils, and other extremely basic school supplies? In Arizona, over half of all K-8 students cannot afford lunch, much less basic educational tools and supplies.

• Students cannot succeed when they lack the basic tools for learning.
• Our school systems have shifted the burden of providing supplies to teachers.
• On average, Arizona schools budget less than .5 cents per student daily for supplies.

 This is why organizations such as Treasures 4 Teachers exists:

"To promote earth-friendly education and ensure that students and classrooms across Arizona have the tools for learning by transferring the community's surplus materials into the hands of educators and students, regardless of economic status."

Teachers are able to come here and get the supplies they need from donations by the community at an affordable price.

Teachers even had access to die-cuts and lamanation services.

the amount of goods is virtually unlimited.

If you would like to make a great find like we did, Treasures-4-Teachers is located at

1230 West Southern

suite 105

Tempe, Arizona 85282

This facility has the capacity to bring so much joy and learning to children aross Arizona.

There are knick-Knacks for projects, books, and various objects to be used for supplemental learning.

.... and there are those trinkets that are purely fun, like the make an estamation bottle.

However, this organization cannot supply itself. It is up to us to volunteer our resources and our time to put together items that teachers can use. Steve Lopez, the owner of Clean Air Cab, paired up with another member of the Green Team at Clean Air Cab to volunteer for this weeks project:

look Steve volunteering AND doing work, like a Boss- because... well.. he is the boss.

sorting bottle caps.

this bottle cap belongs to.... GRYFFINDOR!

just kidding. We sorted them by color and size; I just couldn't resist some Harry Potter humor.

Here is one of our fellow volunteerers; we would love to see more of you at opportunities like this.

interested? click here to learn how you can help with Treasures-4-Teachers. 

The work was tedious....

but the end result was well worth it.

We may have even had a little bit too much fun with bottle-cap eyes, and such. I always wanted Green eyes.....

I'm not sure exactly what beverage these caps belong to.... but the green background with a footprint on it reminded me of Clean Air Cab. We have zero carbon footprint because of the cars we use in our service and the fact that we offset emissions and plant trees. I'm going to be a little biased and say there were my favorite caps.

This is the lovely team at Treasures-4-Teachers who made it possible for us to serve.

Thank you for the opportunity!

need a list for things you could donate? just click here.

Some of you may be wondering... what exactly happens to all those bottle caps?

 Well, some of them make beautiful murals reflecting the work of great artists, like Van Gogh.

 Others become charming outdoor crafts.

  

 Or refridgerator magnets for Mother's Day...

Some, but not all, are used to teach students how to count, and how to recognize color. However, as you can see, they can also teach how to be artistic and use ingenuity. They teach our students to live responsibly, to recycle, and to respect our planet.

Why did we choose to help Treasures-4-Teachers?

Because a better Life begins with a better Education.

Clean Air Cab will be there every step of the way in order to become

 Part of the Solution.

Clean Air Cab's First Food "Drive"

Clean Air Cab is hosting its 1st food drive through St. Mary's Food bank Alliance.
St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance is the recipient of donated food which is dispersed across the state with over 500 partner agencies at roughly 750 sites such as domestic violence shelters, dining halls, schools, churches, children's shelters, halfway houses, and senior centers.

DID YOU KNOW:

currently, 1 in every 4 children, 1 in every 7 adults, and 1 in every 12 seniors in Arizona live in poverty.

338,000 Arizona children live in poverty; 37% are under the age of 5

2 million Arizonans are considered working poor, living at or below the Federal Poverty guideline.


We are currently in the Thanksgiving season, and we have much to be thankful for. However, there are those who are less fortunate than us. While we sit at our tables, enjoying our Thanksgiving feast there will inevitably be someone who does not have food, who is going hungry, who is losing hope. The sad thing, is that the person who is going hungry is not seperated by hundreds of miles or an ocean... that someone is in our very community.

The current trend in an increased demand for Food Banks' help across the nation have left many of them depleted and unable to meet all the requests for meals. We have been given the opportunity to help those individuals with their basic right, the right to live. There is nothing more disheartening then hearing that there are individuals starving in America: the land of opportunity and dreams.

Let us come together, as a community, and give thanks. Let us help our neighbors. Let us give others a reason for this season.

Clean Air Cab will be hosting a food drive from November 15th until we have filled our donation boxes and feed those who are hungry. Feel free to come to our main office and drop off whatever items you wish to donate.

 Clean Air Cab is located at 1600 W. Main Street in Mesa

 items that are most wanted are:

Beans (canned or dried)

Canned fruit and vegetables

Canned soups, stews, chili, and pasta

Cereal (low sugar, whole grain)

Diapers (children's and adults)

Juice (canned, plastic, or boxed)

Tuna (vacuum packed or canned)

Peanut butter

Rice

but all donations would be greatly appreciated.

Because we are Clean Air Cab, a CAB company, we thought it would be darling if we literally did a "drive." So when you call us, we would love it if you would consider donating a few cans to the cause to feed a family when you use our service. Thank you so much for becoming part of the solution.