Mortgage Company Finds Hope for Tucson

Tucson, AZ, October 28, 2014 (Newswire.com) - The 22nd Annual Hope Fest event took place this Saturday, October 25th at Kino Stadium and thousands of Tucson’s homeless, working poor, and underprivileged families turned out for support and assistance.  Hope Fest provides help to Tucsonans with the basic necessities of life, providing dental care, medical care, groceries, haircuts, clothing and hygiene items.

Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation participated in the event to provide advice on the many mortgage programs available to help get families into homes.  The Ready, Set, Own! program, for example, pairs mortgage lenders with credit counselors and works with prospective home buyers to prepare them for homeownership. 

"I attended the event to give hope and help to our community, but I left with so much more. I left with a renewed sense of the goodness in the people of Tucson."

Becky Barnett, Sr. Loan Officer

Fairway also offered assistance to eligible Veterans in completing application for mortgage-free homeownership via Military Warrior Support Foundation’s (MWSF), Homes 4 Wounded Heroes program.  “Dozens of active duty military donated their time to personally escort Veterans through the lines at Hope Fest,” said Regional Manager Dan Yribar.  "The men and women who serve and fight to protect our streets don’t deserve to end up living on them.” Fairway has sponsored 26 mortgage-free homes to Veterans since 2012 in cooperation with MWSF. 

Along with mortgage and homeownership guidance, Fairway also handed out hundreds of reusable grocery bags bearing the company logo filled with fresh produce donated by Rene Produce.  “My neighbor, Jose H. Garcia [Chief Operating Officer, Rene Produce], has always been extremely generous to my family – bringing us cartons of the freshest vegetables and fruit we’ve ever seen. I thought it would be great to give back to my neighbor and reached out to him to purchase thousands of units of produce to distribute at Hope Fest, but Jose refused to let me pay and donated an entire truckload of fresh cucumber, squash and zucchini,” said Yribar.

“Neighbors helping neighbors is what is important here", said Garcia, “when community comes together, greatness can be achieved. My company was honored to support Fairway in their endeavors to help Tucson families.”

Along with Yribar and his family, Fairway Sr. Loan Officer Becky Barnett and Long Realty agents Carol and Randy Bernard volunteered their time Saturday to stuffing and distributing the bags. 

According to Barnett, she stored her purse, containing credit cards, cash, iPhone and car keys in one of the grocery bags at the booth.  Inadvertently, the Fairway grocery bag containing her purse was handed out to one of the Hope Fest attendees.  “I didn’t even know my purse was gone until this sweet lady brought it back to me,” said Barnett.  “I attended the event to give hope and help to our community, but I left with so much more.  I left with a renewed sense of the goodness in the people of Tucson.”