CAVE CREEK, AZ — A Valley man with a big heart donated every dollar, and then some, of his federal stimulus check to buy food for the St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance, an organization that has seen a big need since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Joseph Cirincione tells ABC15 that he spent $2,000 to buy food for the food pantry. "I don't need the money, so I wanted to do something good with it," said Cirincione.
He added that he was able to kill two birds with one stone because he also wanted to help the essential workers at his local Safeway so he spent his money there purchasing the food.
"They actually ended up giving me a fairly good discount at Safeway, and helped me load the truck," said Cirincione.
Among all of the donated food items was a lot of fresh produce.
"A lot of people are out of a job right now, because of the situation. It's not that they are poor people, they just don't have a job right now. They will get their jobs back and just need a little help right now, so that's what we're doing," he added.
He hoped his act of kindness would inspire others who were financially stable, to do the same.
A St. Mary's food bank spokesman tells ABC15 every dollar donated helps feed seven families. The food bank helps serve nine counties in Arizona, including many non-profits who also help provide food for their clients.
If you would like to make a donation, visit the St. Mary's Food Bank website.
