Peanut-Butter Relief
Community sandwich drive helped feed the homeless
Armed with bags of Wonder Bread, tubs of Jif Creamy Peanut Butter, spatulas and a heaping load of goodwill, dozens of area residents set up shop at Riverfront Park, earlier this year, to assemble sandwiches for Tucson's less fortunate. At the forefront of it all was 15-year-old Oro Valley resident Shivansh Srivastava, guiding his crew of well-doers on a mission of vital importance.
While spending a Saturday morning at the park with family and friends is a long way from sleeping in and playing video games, Srivastava was at home amidst the controlled chaos of spreading and sandwiching, directing it all with ease.
"I just feel that by helping others, I am playing my own part," said Srivastava, a junior at Catalina Foothills High School. "Whatever I can do to make a difference, it may not solve the situation immediately, but I know that I am doing everything that I can."
The sandwich-making drive was made possible thanks to a $500 grant from Generation On, in collaboration with Disney, that the young man earned through his placement on the Arizona Governor's Youth Commission. Shivansh serves on the Oro Valley Youth Advisory Council.
Shivansh said that when he submitted his application for the grant, he stated that the money would be used to help feed the homeless.
"When I was very young, in Florida, I used to go for walks with my family, and we used to always see a few homeless people on the street," he said. "As a kid, that would really strike me—I was a very emotional kid—and my heart really went out to them. As a growing young man, I like to do everything that I can."
Srivastava does what he can every year by habitually dedicating his own birthday festivities to a more universally meaningful pursuit, instead of amassing gifts. This year, that selfless desire manifested in a drive to make peanut-butter sandwiches to benefit the Casa Maria Soup Kitchen.
Participants, mostly family friends and relatives, arrived bright and early to the park. Even though the goal of 500 sandwiches within roughly three hours seemed at first quite the task, the gathering quickly realized they would blow through that amount well before their deadline.
They did, to the tune 953 sandwiches.
To Oro Valley Councilmember Mary Snider, who helped make her fair share of sandwiches, the event was the perfect example of the "sense of community" that small towns like Oro Valley develop when the residents work together to achieve common goals. Snider said that any time youth are giving up their time to help somebody else, whether that's a food drive, academic mentoring or anything else, "it just heartens you about their character."
Snider was integral in the formation of the town's Youth Advisory Council, and said that Srivastava is a perfect example of the leadership characteristics the council was developed to foster in local youth.
"They come from so many different backgrounds, different perspectives, and that's what makes them so unique," Snider said. "They're not afraid to jump in and take something on, because they do have those leadership skills. Sometimes they don't know it yet, but that's one of the purposes of the council. To recognize it, give it a platform, light it up and let them find success so they can recognize it and believe in themselves."
Also attending the food drive was Oro Valley Mayor Satish Hiremath, who said that the event was not only a testament to the character and integrity of Srivastava, but of every member of the group who participated on Family Volunteer Day.
"Society is often critical of its youth, and with events like this, and kids like this that come out and show true compassion, caring and kindness for their fellow man, that says a lot about the youth—especially in the town of Oro Valley," Hiremath said. "...what this group of individuals is doing is what's right with our society, and I think that needs to be emphasized."
—Logan Burtch-Buus
