Fiscal Year 2025 Community Impact Report
Our Mission
At Tempe Community Action Agency, we believe every individual has the right to a healthy and productive life. Our mission is to eliminate poverty and build equitable communities. Since 1966, TCAA has empowered countless adults and families to improve their quality of life. Headquartered in Tempe, our programs address the root causes and impacts of poverty, focusing on food security, housing stability, health and well-being, and economic mobility in East Valley communities. We offer a wide range of services, including a Food Pantry, Escalante Community Garden, Nutrition and Aging in Place programs for aging adults, Meals on Wheels, Emergency Shelter, Homelessness Prevention, Senior Home-Sharing, Pregnancy and Early Childhood Development programming, and Economic Mobility initiatives. TCAA's nine programs make us one of the East Valley's leading human service nonprofits.
Nourish to Provide Food Security
- Unduplicated persons receiving food boxes and meals: 14,865
- Meals made possible through TCAA: 752,347
- Seniors receiving nutritious lunches and social interaction at senior centers and through Meals on Wheels: 513
- 80% say the food pantry helps them to eat more nutritious food.
- 80% say the food pantry helps them worry less about food.
For 32 years, Patricia taught in classrooms filled with eager young minds, but her most important role began after retirement when she started raising her now 15-year-old granddaughter with the same patience and strength she once gave her students. Life was often difficult as she navigated single parenthood, worked two jobs, faced periods of food insecurity, survived cancer twice, and underwent open-heart surgery, yet she never stopped moving forward. Today, she is connecting, growing, and thriving with support from TCAA, a journey that began when her granddaughter joined programs at the Escalante Community Center and led Patricia to the Senior Center, which she describes as a reintroduction to the world. There, weekday congregate meals offer nourishment and meaningful conversation, giving her a reason to leave the house and helping her feel part of something again, while the Food Pantry provides a safety net she deeply appreciates. To Patricia, TCAA is a blessing that brings peace of mind and shows that food is stability and community is care.
Shelter to Create Housing Stability
- 374 adults and 27 seniors provided with safe emergency shelter.
- 13,814 nutritious meals and safe bed nights provided for adults and seniors.
At just 22, Erick was living at the airport with nowhere else to go. He had a job but no stability, and surviving day to day was becoming harder. A friend told him about TCAA, and that changed everything. He found shelter through I-HELP and access to food and basic care. Slowly, with encouragement from the team and consistent support, he began to regain his confidence. Now housed and employed, Erick says he never imagined how quickly life could shift once someone believed in him.
"It was odd at first, but the best experience. Once you're at the bottom, the only way is up."
Thrive With Health & Well-being
- 813 seniors, adults and children participated in health and wellness programming.
- 94% of babies in enrolled families were born within healthy birthweights.
- 96% of children up to age 2 are current with immunizations.
- 100% of mothers participated in prenatal and postpartum depression screenings.
- 89 seniors were assisted with aging in place.
- 157 total pet care services were done for seniors.
Natalie, a new mom, felt overwhelmed caring for her newborn in the Arizona heat. TCAA’s Health Start program gave her supplies, parenting support, and consistent check-ins. "She became like family—always there with what I needed, even when I didn’t know what to ask for."
After a fall left her temporarily immobile, Sylvia wasn’t sure how to get through recovery alone. TCAA’s volunteers brought groceries and checked in weekly. "It felt like someone was watching over me when I couldn’t do it myself."
Thrive Through Economic Mobility
- 694 households received financial and/or employment guidance.
- $943,085 was paid towards emergency housing costs.
Raquel’s rent increased unexpectedly, and with no family to help and limited income, she faced eviction. A neighbor referred her to TCAA’s eviction prevention services. Staff helped her complete the application and provided utility support as well. She not only stayed in her home but also received referrals for budgeting classes and employment resources. "I thought I was going to lose everything. They helped me hold on."
Thank you to our community partners and sponsors!
FY25 donors and sponsors include, but are not limited to:
- City of Scottsdale
- City of Mesa
- Mercy Cares
- State Farm
- Chasse Building Team
- City of Tempe
- Crexendo
- Edward Jones
- Jenny Norton and Bob Ramsey
- Maricopa County
- Pen Johnson
- Salt River Project
Ways To Give
Your involvement and financial support can make a BIG difference in the community!
