Charities:
The Cajun Cactus Foundation has selected the following local and Gulf Coast charities to receive the proceeds from this years events. Those groups are:
The St. Bernard Project (Chalmette, LA): rebuilds homes for senior citizens, people with disabilities and families with children who can not afford to have their homes rebuilt by contractors. For clients who can afford supplies, the St. Bernard Project provides supervised volunteer labor. For clients who can not afford supplies, the St. Bernard Project buys the supplies and provides the labor.A typical rebuild project takes approximately 12 weeks and costs approximately $15,000 worth of building supplies to complete.
For more information, visit www.stbernardproject.org.
Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona (Phoenix, AZ): Dedicated to eliminating sub-standard housing by helping low-income families purchase and live in simple, decent homes. To date, the chapter has built over 466 affordable homes and served more than 2,097 people – half of whom are children. For more information, visit www.habitataz.org. 
St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance (Phoenix, AZ): The world's first food bank. The nonprofit organization alleviates hunger by efficiently gathering and distributing food to sites that serve the hungry. Serving 13 of Arizona's 15 counties, the organization is committed to volunteerism, building community relationships and improving the quality of life for Arizonans in need. For more information, please visit www.firstfoodbank.org.
The New Life Center (Goodyear, AZ) offers shelter, safety and services to families seeking independent, violence-free lives. High-quality programs demonstrate respect for the individual and a serene environment in which families can heal and plan for the future. The passion and commitment of New Life Center is best demonstrated by its mission: "... leading the way in empowering Arizona women and children surviving domestic violence." For more information, visit www.newlifectr.org.
Waste Not (Phoenix, AZ) will be the recipient of all leftover food donated by event vendors and competitors. Waste Not feeds thousands of hungry Valley residents daily by collecting excess perishable food from restaurants, resorts, caterers, grocers and various food purveyors – food that would otherwise be thrown away. And then they deliver the food the same day to more than 80 diverse agencies that feed the hungry. For information, visit www.wastenotaz.org.
