TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — On the Saturday after Christmas, a beat-up, baby blue former ice cream truck with bows taped to the sides will pull up to Santa Rita Park, bringing with it a Christmas feast, three Santa Clauses and over 100 gift bags.
Mutual Aid group Community on Wheels, or COW, has been bringing a Christmas celebration to its unhoused neighbors since 2022, though the group has been providing weekly meals to the community at Santa Rita Park for five years now.
Community on Wheels community organizer Victoria Devasto says this is their biggest event every year, and she expects 2024 to be bigger than the past few years.
This year, they're giving out gifts like sketchbooks and colored pencils, basic tools, games, and self-care items.
“A lot of people don’t get to receive gifts when they’re unhoused and on the streets," Devasto said "And what they are getting is often times like a toothbrush and a pair of socks.”
Devasto says she and the COW crew have spent the past few months preparing for the event, buying items for 100 generic gifts and a few more personalized one for the people living in Santa Rita that they've known for years.
“We do care about these people," Devasto said "They are our friends and neighbors but also our family. We've built significant long-lasting relationships with these people.”
The Tucson Pima Collaboration to End Homeless counted over 1,200 people sleeping on the streets for their 2024 point-in-time count. COW is expecting to serve 150 of them at Saturday's event.
Devasto says those wanting to support COW and its mission, both for COW Christmas and every other Saturday distribution, can either make monetary or physical donations by contacting them on Instagram or can help by spreading their message.
"A lot of people throughout the city are struggling, and there is a lack of empathy towards people on the streets in general," said
Devasto.
She says Community on Wheels wants to bring attention to that lack of empathy and work to change it.
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Alex Dowd is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9, where her work combines her two favorite hobbies: talking to new people and learning about the community around her. Her goal is to eventually meet every single person in Tucson. Share your story ideas with Alex via email, alex.dowd@kgun9.com, or connecting on Instagram or X.
