Mouthwatering Salsa from Paz de Cristo

Corn, black beans and celery leaves with jalapeno peppers over a habanero base are just a few of the ingredients Chef John Farley of Paz de Cristo is considering for My Nana’s Salsa Challenge.

Farley is no stranger to salsa, his recipe won second place in the Salsa Challenge last year.

“I’ve got a couple of secret ingredients in mind too,” Farley said. “I’m going to use the hottest chilis in southwest that I can find.” He is testing flavors to create a original, mouthwatering combinations in three salsa categories: Hot, Mild and Anything Goes.

Hope to see you at Nana’s Salsa Challenge, Saturday, April 18. You’ll love the salsa!

Farley is a master of creativity in the kitchen. He set the winning record of 53 consecutive menus prepared without duplicating the main course even once. He begins each day with random ingredients in bulk and ends with a delicious meal for about 300 guests every night of the year.

Chef John Farley tests ingredients to create unique flavor combinations for his mouthwatering salsa. He is competing in Nana’s Salsa Challenge on Saturday, April 18.

Paz de Cristo helps people struggling with hunger, poverty and homelessness. More than 50,000 meals are provided each month, and it doesn’t stop there. Clean clothes, a hot shower and a haircut give guests a fresh start. People receive help finding jobs and removing barriers so they can get ahead.

Thanks to caring volunteers and generous donors, Paz de Cristo is the only place where a hot, nutritious meal, a fresh start and a new job come together. Lives are changed every day at Paz de Cristo whose mission is to Feed, Clothe and Empower people in need.

We look forward to seeing you at My Nana’s Salsa Challenge, 10 am – 5 pm, Saturday, April 18. The event will be held at Sloan Park, 2330 W Rio Salado Pkwy, in Mesa, Arizona. Tickets may be purchased in advance online at www.salsachallenge.com.

 

Paz de Cristo Announces Grant from The Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust

Pas de Cristo Community Center has received a grant totaling $150,000 from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.

“Last year, Paz de Cristo served more than 16,600 people struggling with hunger, poverty and homelessness. We provided more than 600,000 meals to Veterans, senior citizens, single parents and working poor,” Executive Director Arlen Westling said.

According to Westling, this grant form the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust will provide the additional resources needed to enclose their dining hall and install air conditioning. “By transforming our space, volunteers and guests will find relief from 100-degree summer evenings. Now we will be able to expand the hours of empowerment programs for people in need.”

“We’re pleased to help Paz de Cristo serve clients in greater comfort, while providing a multi-purpose space where clients can access programs and services that lead to greater self-sufficiency,” said Senior Program Officer Laura McBride of Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.

The grant to Paz de Cristo represents one of 19 awarded to nonprofit organizations in Arizona by the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust during the second of two grant cycles this year. Since the Trust began its grant making in 1998, it has awarded $305 million to 988 nonprofit organizations in its home states of Arizona and Indiana. For more information about the Trust and its programs visit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.

The mission of Paz de Cristo is to Feed, Clothe and Empower people in the Phoenix East Valley. the organization provides more than 50,000 meals each month and strives to relieve suffering while helping those in need improve their quality of life. Clean clothes, a hot shower and a haircut give people a fresh start.

Paz de Cristo’s Jobs Program offers personal career coaching along with practical, one-on-one assistance writing resumes, searching for job openings and preparing for interviews. Computers with online access and printers are available in the Job Center. Staff members help people get Arizona identification, birth certificates and bus tickets effectively removing barriers so people can get ahead.

This powerful intervention of food, clothing and jobs is helping end the cycle of poverty. Celebrate stories of life change and discover more about the vision, mission and values of Paz de Cristo.

Empty Bowls Events Fuel Solutions to Hunger

You can help feed hungry neighbors and take home a one-of-a-kind, handcrafted bowl.

Last year, more than 22,000 people in Maricopa County were homeless. Two million people in Arizona don’t have enough food to eat. Nearly 30 percent of our neighbors live on a paycheck that barely covers rent and the basic necessities of life.

To highlight solutions to hunger and poverty, Mesa Community College will host the annual Empty Bowls events in conjunction with World Food Day.

Participants can choose a unique, handcrafted bowl and dine on a simple meal of bread, soup and water in exchange for a $10 donation. This meal symbolically represents the caloric intake that sustains many around the world for an entire day.

All proceeds will directly benefit Paz de Cristo Community Center which provides more than 50,000 meals each month to neighbors battling hunger, poverty and homelessness.

Silent auctions featuring ceramic work by some of the Valley’s most talented artists will be held at both mid-day events. Please join us!

10 am – 3 pm and 5 – 8 pm, Wednesday, October 17
Southern & Dobson Campus
1833 W. Southern Ave, Mesa

10 am – 3 pm and 5 – 8 pm, Wednesday, October 24
Red Mountain Campus
7110 E. McKellips Rd., Mesa

Thrivent and Paz de Cristo to Meet More Needs

Paz de Cristo Community Center is now in a better position to help more people in need.

Thrivent Financial welcomed Paz de Cristo to the Thrivent Choice®, a program that helps strengthen communities and changes lives. With Thrivent Choice®, eligible members are given the power to recommend where some of the organization’s charitable outreach funds are distributed each year.

Since 2010, Thrivent has given more than $370 million in charitable outreach funds to support churches, schools and other nonprofit organizations like Paz de Cristo.

Staff and volunteers at Paz de Cristo will put the much-needed funding to work right away. Food to provide more than 50,000 meals each month, new socks, t-shirts and underwear as well as hot showers, bus passes, birth certificates, vouchers for Arizona identification, internet access and job coaching are a few of the resources and services that will be fueled by Thrvient Choice.

“Thrivent dollars stretch our resources so that we can reach more people in need,” stated Arlen Westling, Executive director of Paz de Cristo. Last year, more than 22,000 people in Maricopa County were homeless. Two million people in Arizona don’t have enough food to eat. Nearly 30 percent of our neighbors live on a paycheck that barely covers rent and the basic necessities of life.

Paz de Cristo’s mission is to Feed, Clothe and Empower people in need in the Phoenix East Valley. It is a natural fit with Thrivent Financial, a membership organization that helps Christians be wise with money and live generously. To direct your Choice Dollars to Paz de Cristo, contact a Customer Care Professional at 1-800-THRIVENT (800-847-4836) and say “Thrivent Choice” at the prompt or email [email protected].

Paz de Cristo Celebrates 30 Years of Serving

Paz de Cristo is celebrating 30 years of helping neighbors struggling with hunger, poverty and homelessness.

The 30th anniversary fundraising breakfast will be held on Wednesday, September 26, 2018. Participants will take a trip down memory lane celebrating milestones and victories with the theme “Pearls of Hope and Dignity.”

The First Supper

The first supper was served to twelve people on card tables in a parking lot at the corner of Hibbert & Main Street in Mesa. That was then.

Today more than 250 of our neighbors in need receive a hot meal every night of the year in the dining hall at the current location on Broadway Road in Mesa. Paz de Cristo doesn’t stop there.

Feed, Clothe and Empower

Services have expanded from providing more than 50,000 meals each month to helping people completely turn their lives around. The organization’s mission is to Feed, Clothe and Empower people in need.

Clean clothes, a hot shower and a new haircut give guests a fresh start. Their transformation can be seen and felt as they stand tall with hope for a brighter future.

Volunteers and staff help people find jobs and remove barriers so that they can get ahead. One-on-one assistance searching through job openings, writing resumes, applying for jobs online and preparing for interviews propels people forward. Essentials for the job search are provided including an email address, bus passes for transportation to interviews, birth certificates and vouchers for Arizona identification.

Since the Job Center opened in 2014, more than 1,300 people have taken advantage of these services.

Thank You

Paz de Cristo’s work is fueled by the Mesa community. “We are grateful to have such generous, faithful volunteers and donors as part of our family,” stated Executive Director Arlen Westling. “They’ve made these thirty years possible!”