Our third stop during Lerner & Rowe’s “It’s all Gravy” Thanksgiving meal giveaway tour led us to Tucson, Arizona. In the spirit of gratitude and generosity, we were thrilled to distribute 1,000 free dinner meal packages, bringing a touch of warmth and comfort to those in need. The heartwarming response from the community was a testament to the unity and compassion that define the Thanksgiving holiday.

We greatly appreciate all who joined us in making our Tucson Thanksgiving meal giveaway 2023 a success.

Their participation not only contributed to the festive cheer but also exemplified the true essence of Thanksgiving–a time for coming together, expressing gratitude, and fostering a sense of community. 

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Tucson Thanksgiving Meal Giveaway 2023 photos:

PCH50’s annual Off the Record Event 2023, dedicated to supporting Phoenix Children’s Hospital’s Hope Fund, happened on November 11th.

For two consecutive years, Lerner & Rowe Gives Back has had the privilege of serving as the $50,000 presenting sponsor for the Off the Record event. In 2021, we were honored to be recognized as a $30,000 diamond record sponsor.

As a consistent major sponsor of this event and an unwavering supporter of Phoenix Children’s, we are always excited to witness the generosity of countless individuals in our community who contribute to the hospital’s vital work through fundraisers such as the Off the Record event.

If you weren’t able to attend, you can still join us in supporting Phoenix Children’s and its efforts to provide the very best that pediatric medicine has to offer. Just visit phoenixchildrensfoundation.org to make a gift today that could help save a life tomorrow. 

Albuquerque, New Mexico was our team’s second stop during the Lerner & Rowe 2023 Thanksgiving meal giveaway tour across the U.S. Our team had a blast meeting locals and handing out 1,000 free dinner meal packages. 

We extend our heartfelt appreciation to all who showed up to help us celebrate the Thanksgiving season, embodying the spirit of unity and compassion that defines the holiday.

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Albuquerque Thanksgiving Meal Giveaway 2023 Photos:

Lerner & Rowe Gives Back was a sixth-year sponsor of the annual #LovePup Family Fests at Vertuccio Farms in Mesa. 

It was a day filled with wagging tails and happy faces, where families and individuals had the opportunity to meet and adopt their new four-legged family members. 

Beyond the Lerner & Rowe 360 photo booth fun and dog adoptions, #LovePup Family Fest 2023 also showcased tasty food vendors and live music featuring:

• Max
• The Band Camino
• Andi & Ashlee Keating 

If you weren’t able to attend, but still want to adopt a pup into your home, visit LovePup Foundation online at lovepupfoundation.org/available-dogs to view available dogs waiting to be adopted into a forever home.

Related topic: #LovePup 2024 It’s Hip to Chip Program Partner

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Photos from #LovePup Family Fest 2023:

Our Phoenix Thanksgiving Meal Giveaway was a great success! We want to thank our team for helping assemble and then passing out 750 meal packages. We love giving back within the communities we serve!

We were also happy to see and connect with everyone who came out to our 2023 Thanksgiving Meal Giveaway in Phoenix.

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Phoenix Thanksgiving Meal Giveaway 2023 Photos:

Lerner & Rowe Gives Back is proud to renew our $25k partnership with #LovePup to support the foundation’s “It’s Hip to Chip” program. We’ve had the pleasure to be part of this amazing program since its inception back in 2018. 

The It’s Hip to Chip program aims to ensure that all dogs adopted from either of the Maricopa County Animal Care and Control (MCACC) Shelter locations receive a microchip upon their adoption. 

Per MCACC, nearly 13,000 animals have arrived at its two shelters so far this year; the majority of those dogs were stray. MCACC believes microchipping pets is one of the easiest ways to prevent shelter overcrowding.

And thanks to the #LovePup Foundation’s microchipping initiative, many dogs have been successfully reunited with their furever families. The microchip program has also helped reduce the number of potentially harmful situations which may result from a lost and scared pet roaming the streets.

MCACC Offers Free Microchips Through End of 2023

To help pet owners avoid the heartbreaking nightmare of searching for a missing pet, MCACC set a goal to microchip 1,000 pets by the end of 2023. As such, free microchips will be offered Monday-Friday, from 12:00 pm – 4:00 p.m. at MCACC’s East and West shelters through December 29, 2023.

Pet owners wanting to take advantage of this free microchip offer are asked to register online first.

The Dream Center Network, based out of Los Angeles, founded the Phoenix Dream Center in 2002 as a means to help stop human trafficking, end childhood hunger, and educate tomorrow’s leaders across the Valley of the Sun. 

Phoenix Dream Center is a primarily volunteer driven nonprofit organization funded by individual financial and in-kind donations. As such, Lerner & Rowe Gives Back was proud to donate $7,000 to the organization in support of program services. 

We invite you to join us in supporting the Phoenix Dream Center as it tirelessly works to combat human trafficking and aid survivors on their path to recovery. Donate now at phoenixdreamcenter.org/donate. 100% of your donation goes directly to serve the people Phoenix Dream Center serves.

Trunk or Treat in Albuquerque

Our New Mexico team had a blast at a community trunk or treat event in Albuquerque.

We thoroughly enjoyed seeing all of the creative costumes and smiling faces as we handed out candies to the local trick-or-treaters.

It was most certainly a spooktacular night, thoroughly enjoyed by everyone! This event embraced the whimsical spirit of the season and left everyone with cherished memories of a fantastic night filled with spooktacular delight.

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Halloween Fun at Phoenix Children’s Hospital

We also took delight in distributing treats to children who are on a path toward recovery at Phoenix Children’s Hospital.

Since these young patients cannot go door-to-door, our team felt especially touched to participate in an activity that brought joy and fun to their Halloween.

For the twelfth year in a row, Lerner and Rowe Gives Back is pleased to support the “Paul’s Pay it Forward Car Wash” hosted by Arizona’s Family Meteorologist Paul Horton. 

For 2023, our team washed cars for charity and presented a check for $10,000 towards this annual fundraiser benefiting Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona (BBBSAZ). 

Go to BBBSAZ.org to join us in supporting this fantastic cause by making your own donation.

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Photos from the 2023 Paul’s Car Wash:

Lerner and Rowe Gives Back presented a $5,000 check to the Ben’s Bells Project, a 2023 grant recipient of our foundation. 

Ben’s Bells will use these grant funds to cover the costs of updates to their Kindness Van. Transportation provided by the van is instrumental in helping the organization install inspirational murals, raise needed funds, and bring programming to the community.

For example, the Kindness Van will be used to drive merchandise for Shop Kind retail events, like the Street Fair, Made in Tucson, and The Festival of Books. These events generate over half of the organization’s overall revenue annually.

Reliable transportation provided by the new van will also make it possible for the organization to drive to local schools to implement the many benefits of its Kindness Campus and Murals programs. Each program focuses on reducing bullying, coping with the struggles of poverty, and increasing attendance at hundreds of local schools.  

Learn more about the many different ways to support and get involved with the Ben’s Bells Project at bensbells.org. 

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Additional photos from check presentation and tour: