Tucson businesses provide bags of groceries to those impacted financially by COVID-19

TUCSON - Many families in the Old Pueblo have taken a financial hit due to of the COVID-19 crisis.

However, on Tuesday, a group of Tucsonans stepped up to help others during this time of need by providing bags of groceries - no questions asked.

The community event took place at Cactus Auto on Prince Road, just east of Interstate 10. 

Larry Doyle, a Tucson resident, was one of the dozens of people who received a free bag of food.

"This really means a lot to me and my family due to the fact the coronavirus is going on," said Doyle. "I've been laid off since March. Times are tough right now. Every little bit is very much appreciated."

Xander Swartz is the general manager of Cactus Auto.

"Tucson's been very good to us over the years," said Swartz. "We figured now is a very important time for us to give back to the community."

Cactus Auto teamed up with at least 20 other Tucson-area companies to give away $4,000 worth of groceries.

"It's the NEXUS group, a bunch of business owners, [who] provided the financial donations for us to buy the food, and we went out to local grocers and bought the food and bagged them up," said Swartz.

"We've seen a lot of people come up and they're just so thankful for the $20 worth of food they're getting to take home," he said. "It's been pretty emotional. There have been a few tears and it's nice to see that we're actually making an impact."