Charity Begins At Home
Quakers are doers – activists. “Quiet revolutionaries” to some. Engagement with society, especially those among us in greatest need, is a long-running theme of Quakers everywhere. Sometimes our aim is national, sometimes global. More often, it’s local.
The Phoenix Quaker Meeting brings together individuals with many interests and concerns. According to our passions, available time, and financial means, individuals invest in projects and charities of many kinds, all driven by a shared mission of service and support for urgent needs in society.
In no particular order, here is a sampling of projects within the Phoenix Meeting that speak to the diversity of our interests and personal commitment to serving others. Some are formal nonprofit charities.
To learn more about these projects – or to help – do not hesitate to reach out.
Current Outreach Projects
The Stamp Project
Margaret Wright sends stamps that Friends cut off their mail to the Indiana Friends, who clean them up for sale to stamp collectors. All proceeds go to women and families in developing countries through the Quaker project, Right Sharing of World Resources. Contact Margaret.
The Bottle Cap Project
For a number of years members and attenders at the Phoenix Quaker Meeting have collected plastic bottle caps (any kind) to be sent to Mexico, where they are recycled into prosthetic limbs for indigent people in need there. Margaret Wright is the current point person for collecting caps from the Meetinghouse and delivering them to the people who actually transport them to Mexico.
Bolivian Education
Nancy Marshall and others in the Phoenix Quaker Meeting support the Bolivian Quaker Education Fund, a nonprofit helping Aymara youth achieve higher education as a path out of poverty and discrimination faced by this marginalized indigenous community. Nancy serves BQEF as Clerk. Vance is also a Board member. Visit www.bqef.org for more information about programs and trips. Contact Nancy or Vance.
Aikido
Tom Haines teaches the Japanese martial art of aikido through Arizona Aikido. Aikido emphasizes non-violent resolution to conflict whenever possible. The practice promotes mind/body integration of energy and centering. Aikido celebrates the commonality of all people, a fundamental assumption of all Quakers. Contact Tom.
AZ Community Land Trust
Richard Starling founded the Arizona Community Land Trust to deal with complex issues of food production and distribution. ACLT seeks to change the model of ownership and profit to return benefits of available healthy food to all communities, starting with “food deserts” in Phoenix. Contact Richard.
Food Bank Donations
We gather and deliver non-perishable foods to Paradise Valley Food Bank and Grace Lutheran Church. Both organizations feed families who are not able to consistently afford food. PVFB also provides weekend meals to kids who rely on free school lunches. Non-perishable pet food is also welcome.
Phoenix Quaker Meeting 