A Tucson cat lounge is hosting a book drive to benefit Cactus Cupboard, a southern Arizona nonprofit that provides food, water and emergency supplies to underserved communities from Ajo to the Mexican border.

Hunter's Kitten Lounge is collecting books through April 15, with donations going to children in the western villages of the Tohono O'odham Nation. The lounge is welcoming books of all types and reading levels, from picture books to novels, with a collection bin in the lobby.

The book drive grew out of a chance connection. A colleague of Cactus Cupboard founder Joyce Millar's at the Pima County Attorney's Office, where she works as a victim advocate, posted that she had a collection of books from a cat rescue and was looking for a taker.

"I said, well, you know, we cover from Ajo all the way down to the port of entry with Mexico, and then we go about 100 miles out into the reservation," Millar said.

That conversation sparked the partnership with Hunter's Kitten Lounge, which said it wanted to give back to a community that has consistently shown up for them.

Millar serves as Cactus Cupboard's co-director alongside her friend Kat, who started the organization with her about five years ago with the goal of supporting the community by helping older adults with utility bills and providing food, water and seasonal resources.

Millar worked as a food pantry manager during the COVID-19 pandemic but left to start Cactus Cupboard and serve a different community she felt she could better assist. The organization has grown to serve about 120 people year-round and up to 1,000 in the winter when snowbirds and nomads arrive.

"I saw a lot of people that were slipping through the cracks and not being helped, so I left that job and formed a nonprofit," Millar said. "Then I started working with food pantries and different organizations to bring resources down to them. I started off on mobile distribution … (and) emergency food relief, and then it kind of spiraled into the summertime, when most of the travelers leave here."

Cactus Cupboard provides nomads with tents, cots, food, water and hygiene packs, supporting a wide area of southern Arizona from Ajo to the Mexican border, including areas like Ali Chuk, which lacks many services.

"We have a lot of people who come down (and) live in their vehicles," Millar said. "They don't have a lot of money, and when their food stamps run out, they just live out in the desert. They've got no utilities. It's a difficult way of life."

Cactus Cupboard is entirely volunteer-based, with all donations used for community support and supplies purchased locally to keep the money in the community.

The organization also supports first responders with food, water and electrolyte packets, provides clothing, toiletries and hygiene packs to those in need and puts together welcome baskets for newborns and their parents.

The desert heat also leads to frequent house fires, and Cactus Cupboard provides tents, cots, food, water and blankets to those displaced by them.

Those looking to support the effort can drop off books at Hunter's Kitten Lounge, 5319 E Speedway Blvd., through April 15 or donate through the organization's Amazon and Walmart wish lists.

Ruby Maldonado is a Pima Community College student and Tucson Spotlight intern. Contact her at rhmaldonado99@gmail.com.

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