PHOENIX — ABC15's Operation Santa Claus aims to brighten the holidays for Arizona families in need. St. Mary’s Food Bank is one of five local charities helping our local news team share the magic of Christmas with families in need.
Among the many volunteers leading this effort for St. Mary’s Food Bank in Phoenix is Steve Anderson.
He’s a retired corporate executive who found a new life purpose here.
Anderson retired in 2020, closing the chapter on a high-powered corporate career. By 2022, Anderson told me he realized he wasn’t ready to slow down.
“I retired in 2020 and ran out of all my to-dos by 2022,” Anderson explained.
He says he was inspired after seeing on the news how St. Mary's volunteers were doing all they could to help struggling families.
“I thought it’d be a great time to contribute. I came down, met a lot of great people, and had a great time and I’ve continued doing it,” he said.
Now a lead volunteer, Anderson works two shifts a day, four days a week, helping families facing food insecurity. Anderson says his time at St. Mary’s has been eye-opening, offering a first-hand look at the struggles many families are facing right now.
“You see a lot of kids in the cars with their parents, and you can see different looks in their eyes. But when you’re getting food, it really makes a difference in their daily lives,” Anderson shared.
Each day, St. Mary’s Food Bank distributes boxes of food to 1,700 families, which is a record number.
Without this help, many of the families who turn to St. Mary’s Food Bank for help might go without items they desperately need.
“It breaks your heart because so many families are struggling. The fact that St. Mary’s can bridge that gap for food, especially for the children, is heartwarming," said Anderson, adding that the work goes beyond providing food. He says this is about treating people with dignity and compassion.
“There are folks living out of their cars, and during the summer, most of those cars don’t have AC. It’s a struggle. You see them come up, cars breaking down. Anything we can do to make their experience a little better and just treat them as human beings,” he said.
He also shares that every shift reminds him of the profound impact small acts of daily kindness can have on the entire community.
Together we can continue our mission of bringing holiday joy to Arizona families in need this season with Operation Santa Claus.
ABC15’s Operation Santa Claus is an Arizona tradition. Our partnership helps to collect canned food items, unwrapped toys, children’s clothing, and monetary donations for Arizona charities including St. Mary’s Food Bank, Special Olympics Arizona, Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center (SARRC), Military Assistance Mission (MAM), and Chicanos Por La Causa (CPLC).
For more information on ways to help, visit GivetotheClaus.com.
