Member Uses his Skills to Support Neighborhood Food Project

The Mirehaven Del Webb Neighborhood Food Project donates food items to the Rio Grande Food Project and non-food sundries to the Silver Horizons program in support of the elderly. During their June donation drive, the group donated and moved just under 5,000 pounds of food and non-food items, including:

• 3,761 pounds of food (enough for nearly 1,900 meals)
• 318 pounds of pet food
• 405 pounds of toiletries.

In order to promote safety, camaraderie, and indirect advertising, volunteer Mitchell Gates screenprinted the organization’s logo on bright yellow safety vests for volunteers to wear during the event. Mitchell, a US Military Veteran, received a PNM | TNMP Foundation scholarship for a six-month FUSE membership in January, and HED GRO funding to take FUSE’s Intro to Screenprinting workshop the following month. “I greatly appreciate all of the training opportunities and the chance to learn from skilled professional instructors. Plus, I’ve been extremely impressed by the skills and experience of my classmates. Classmate interaction enhances what instructors impart,” Mitchell reflects.

FUSE focuses a lot on resources for entrepreneurs, but it also has many members who use their skills at FUSE to benefit other non-profits that they’re involved with, amplifying its impact on the community.

Kim Hafermalz, Mirehaven Del Webb Neighborhood Coordinator for the National Food Project, notes that “the food drive was hot and sweaty work, but it was a celebration of our love of Mirehaven and our larger community.” To read more about the work of the Mirehaven Del Webb Neighborhood Food Project, see Kim’s article Silver Horizons: The beneficiary of Mirehaven Gives Back 2026 fundraising in Mirehaven News.