Media Coverage

November 4th, 2009

We were able to locate the Channel 3 news coverage! Big thanks to Jack for digging it up and getting it to us for posting. Here it is….

From 2007, we got a wonderful write up from John Faherty at the Arizona Republic

Family project provides chili, blankets for homeless people

John Faherty
The Arizona Republic
Dec. 25, 2007 12:00 AM

Hundreds of men, women and children slept a little bit better last night. And their were stomachs were a little more full.

These simple pleasures were the result of a local family, their friends and other volunteers who spent the day before Christmas handing out warm blankets and hot chili to the homeless.

“Man, this chili is good,” said Michael Shaw, standing in the sun near Ninth Avenue and Madison Street in downtown Phoenix.

“It’s the difference between your stomach grumbling and your stomach not grumbling. This is my fifth bowl. I haven’t eaten this good in a long time.”

The word spread quickly through the homeless community.

“We didn’t do any advertising,” said Andi Fourlis, one of the 30 or so volunteers.

In less than 90 minutes, volunteers dished up 30 pounds of chili and gave away 600 blankets.

“Our goal was 500 blankets, and we thought that was a stretch,” Shaney Salomon said.

Blankets and chili weren’t the only things on the menu that day. One boy helping with the giveaway handed his sweatshirt to a shivering child in the food line.

The giveaway started as an idea last year when Salomon’s husband, Frank, a Phoenix firefighter, and his family brought food to a homeless shelter as they do every Christmas Eve.

“As soon as we got out of the car, people were asking us for blankets,” Salomon said.

The Salomons, with the help of their three kids and family friends, started collecting blankets about five weeks ago.

“I have one blanket,” said Finau Mapa, who has been homeless for seven years. “It’s nice to have another one. Sometimes it’s good to be able to put one over you and another one under you.”