Drive-thru Dental Day Supports Local Food Banks in Arizona

PHOENIX - Jan. 20, 2021 - PRLog -- After months of trying to find ways to host off-site charitable events without much luck, the Arizona Dental Foundation and the Arizona Mission of Mercy joined forces to provide "Drive-Thru Dental Days."

The Arizona Dental Foundation, an affiliate organization of the Arizona Dental Association, reached out to the Arizona Food Bank Network to identify foodbanks in urban and rural areas in need of assistance.

The Arizona Mission of Mercy, affiliated with the Central Arizona Dental Society Foundation, scheduled distribution activities on the same December day and location where their annual event would normally occur. This year, because of COVID-19 restrictions on dentistry, organizers hoped they could still help prevent decay while emphasizing the importance of good oral hygiene. Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation provided smile bags for the Phoenix, Mesa, and Yuma events.

Volunteers in every community stepped up to help their underserved neighbors by distributing oral hygiene kits and providing car side oral hygiene instruction. Dressed in appropriate PPE, volunteers in Flagstaff battled snow flurries while Yuma volunteers (sporting ugly holiday sweaters ) enjoyed interacting with National Guard troops.

Over two days, 3,000 kits were distributed with supplies for adults and children during a time of great demand. Both organizations are looking for support to expand the program to more communities in the near future.

HTTP://www.azdentalfoundation.org/give