VIVA PIMA! was graciously highlighted in this December 2025 edition of the Desert Leaf Publication. Curious about what VIVA PIMA! is up to? Check out an excerpt below and follow the link at the end to read the article in its entirety. 

"VIVA PIMA! gives vouchers to schools requiring uniforms so that families can attend one of their back-to-school shopping events. Kids get to experience a “shopping spree,” as they are met by dozens of volunteers at VIVA PIMA!’s building across the parking lot from the thrift shop. It’s set up like a store, with racks of backpacks, different-colored shirts, hoodies, underwear, socks, and places to try on shoes. “The excitement of watching a child pick out a new pair of shoes—deciding between the red ones or the black ones—that is special,” says Hartmann. There is also a back-to-school shopping event, which takes place at Target, for kids in Title I schools that don’t require uniforms. VIVA PIMA! funds school-related purchases of up to $125 per student. ...

Although VIVA PIMA!'s primary goal is to provide resources to those in need, their secondary goal ... is to recycle items rather than see them thrown away ... According to VIVA PIMA!'s Executive Director, Nicola Hartmann, "How do we keep items out of the landfill?" is the guiding question of the volunteers, who match niche or unsellable items with 15 partnered nonprofits that can use them directly..."

Read the Full Article HERE