Vistancia Teen Club donates to Phoenix Rescue Mission

Following a two-week drive to collect basic living necessities for those in need, the Vistancia Teen Club donated 900 pounds of food, clothing and toiletries and 2,400 bottles of water to the Phoenix Rescue Mission.

Club members went house to house collecting items left on residents' front porches and organized donation boxes in the Peoria community's association office.

"During these hard times many more people and families need our help, so donating all of these items really will make a difference," said Ben Massouras, president of Vistancia Teen Club. "The thing is though, there is still so much that needs to be done.

"When we toured the Phoenix Rescue Mission facility, we were told the number of people that need help in Phoenix this year is four times what it was last year."

After unloading the items at the mission, the teens sorted the donations into the appropriate warehouse containers.

In addition to painting a community park already this summer, the Teen Club has identified other community service initiatives for the remainder of the year including volunteering with Breaking Up Walls, a nonprofit organization connecting diverse groups of individuals through a four-step model using "unity art" as their tool for reconciliation.

The Teen Club was formed for Vistancia youth, ages 11 to 17, to develop and implement age-appropriate events, games and activities for neighborhood kids while also pursuing philanthropic opportunities within Vistancia and throughout the Valley.

For information about Vistancia, call 623-933-6233 or visit www.vistancia.com.