Local company, T&R Iron Works, recently partnered with Rancho Sahuarita to help students at Sahuarita Middle School.Sahuarita Middle School had been experiencing problems near their trash cans on campus, as bees were often found around them. The cans, which prior to last month did not have lids, often resulted in children not wanting to throw trash in them because of the surrounding bees. This resulted in a litter ridden courtyard.Local parent and Volunteer Coordinator for Sahuarita Middle school, Jamie Farmer, concerned about the ongoing issue, reached out to the Rancho Sahuarita Company to see if there was anything that the team there could recommend to help alleviate the problem. “It was hard to find a solution to our specific trash cans. We wanted something made similar to the ones Rancho Sahuarita has,” said Farmer.

After being connected with Facility Maintenance Supervisor, Gilbert Contreras, Farmer was able to explain the situation. Contreras then connected with T&R Iron Works, who kindly donated 10 lids free of cost to Sahuarita Middle School.

The result is beneficial in many ways, as now there are no bees and no resulting litter on the ground. The kindness of the lid manufacturer, aided by the facilitation of Rancho Sahuarita, came together in a wonderful partnership. Farmer spoke about the partnership saying, “[Gilbert helped] make our dream a reality. Thank you Rancho Sahuarita and Gilbert Contreras for helping keep Sahuarita Middle School a safe place where students can learn and grow.”

To recognize and honor the spirit of partnership, Gilbert was presented with the “Friend of Sahuarita” award by the Sahuarita Unified School District, on Wednesday, March 21st at a board meeting. Dr. Manuel Valenzuela, Superintendent of SUSD, commented saying, “There are endless possibilities to innovate and find solutions when you intentionally build cohesive and trusting relationships with other stakeholders in the community. We are grateful to our friends at the Rancho Sahuarita Company for the generous donation of these effective trash receptacle lid structures. They’ve greatly minimized the problem of bees congregating  around our campuses. It is just another  example of how we’re better by finding common ground and working together.”