Arizona lawmaker also visits elementary school, food bank
TUCSON – U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords on Tuesday will present an American flag that flew over the U.S. Capitol to a Vietnam veteran who has worked to have a flag displayed at a Marana library.
The Arizona lawmaker will present the flag to Richard Jarenski who will donate it to the Wheeler Taft Abbett Sr. branch of the Pima County Public Library.
Giffords obtained the flag after Jarenski visited the library and noticed that there was no flag displayed.
Also Tuesday, Giffords will visit Laguna Elementary School to congratulate the Flowing Wells School District for winning a KidSmart Early Learning Program grant from IBM. Flowing Wells is one of only 13 districts and nonprofit organizations nationwide to receive a grant.
Under the grant, Flowing Wells will receive 50 Young Explorer Learning Centers. One center will be placed in each preschool, kindergarten and first-grade classroom in the district.
The computer centers and accompanying software will help students learn concepts in math, science and language.
Giffords also will visit the Marana Community Food Bank on Tuesday. Giffords’ Tucson office has challenged Marana Mayor Ed Honea’s office to see which can collect the most food donations.
On Tuesday, the donations will be delivered and weighed, after which the congresswoman will be given a tour of the food bank.
The donations are especially critical at this time of year. In one recent month, about 650 clients – almost triple the norm – walked into the Marana Community Food Bank seeking help. Branch Manager Cecilia Muñoz said the clients are mostly unemployed or underemployed people, seniors and young families.
About 1 in 5 Tucsonans live at or below the federal poverty level. And 1 in 5 Arizona children are considered food-insecure, meaning their parents struggle to put food on the table.
WHAT: U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords attends grant award ceremony
WHEN: 8:45-10 a.m., Tuesday, Nov. 24
WHERE: Laguna Elementary School, 5001 N. Shannon Road
WHAT: U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords delivers food donations
WHEN: 10:45-11:45 a.m., Tuesday, Nov. 24
WHERE: Marana Community Food Bank, 11734 W. Grier Road, Marana
WHAT: U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords presents flag
WHEN: Noon-1 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 24
WHERE: Wheeler Taft Abbett Sr. Library, 7800 N. Schisler Drive, Marana