This article profiles Dan Maldonado, a former real estate developer and carpenter who became homeless after losing his business and property in the 2008 recession. After living in his van and an RV for two years, he moved to Bisbee, Arizona in 2013. There, he started a program to feed the homeless and hungry by stocking a community refrigerator daily with food donated by a local restaurant. Maldonado estimates that 12 to 18 people use the refrigerator each day. He continues his mission to help others experiencing hunger and homelessness.

1. BY CHRISTINE STEELE
christine.steele@svherald.com
BISBEE — Dan Maldo-
nado knows what it is to be
homeless. The carpenter
and former successful real
estate developer was build-
ing spec houses on prop-
erty he owned in Glacier,
Washington, in the shadow
of Mount Baker, outside of
Bellingham, when the re-
cession of 2008 hit.
“That’s when I lost my
lines of credit,” he said.
Banks stopped giving out
spec loans and Maldonado’s
business model quickly
dried up.
“I slowly started selling
everything off,” he said.
Land, houses, furniture,
his motorcycle.
“Anything to try to main-
tain,” he said. “Then one
day I had a house and the
next day I was living in my
van with my dog. I was such
a prideful person. I didn’t
want anyone to know. Sud-
denly I was homeless and on
the street, but I didn’t want
to appear to be homeless. So
I started volunteering at the
homeless shelter, and I ate
there, but I still didn’t tell
them I was homeless.”
It was 2010 and Maldonado
was living in a 5th wheel RV
not hooked up to anything
parked in his buddy’s drive-
way — camping essentially
— for about two years.
“The whole thing was
super humbling,” he said.
“And I started noticing
more and more people liv-
ing in their cars. You try
not to look homeless. You
keep yourself clean. I was
still doing construction
but it was not enough. All
the contractors had gone
belly up and lost their boats
and their trucks and there
just wasn’t enough work to
be had.”
I n 2 01 3 , h i s f at h e r
BY DEREK JORDAN
derek.jordan@svherald.com
SIERRA VISTA — Approv-
al of the construction of a
cell phone tower south of the
new hospital was narrowly
approved by a city council
that was divided by aesthetic
and property value concerns
as well as fostering econom-
ic development goals.
The 73-foot structure re-
quired a conditional use
permit from the city council
and was the second tower ap-
proved by the council since
November, when it approved
the construction of a 70-foot
tower on the same lot where
the Sierra Vista Commu-
nity Garden is located on
Wilcox Drive.
Both towers were sought
by Verizon Wireless but
have the capacity to host
other cell phone providers in
the future.
Located behind the Fors-
berg Business Complex
on Colonia De Salud, the
tower meets all of the city
code requirements to be
built, including stealth ele-
ments and will be designed
to resemble a pine tree,
said Don Brush, director
of the city’s Community
Development Department.
The site was chosen to ad-
dress a service gap in the
area, said Joe Engbrocks of
Wavelength Management on
behalf of Verizon Wireless.
Herald
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INDEX
CALENDAR A2
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SPORTS B1
NEIGHBORS C1
CROSSWORD C3
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XNLV211898
Testing,not
Common
Core,focus
atDouglas
hearing
BY MAX LANCASTER
For the Herald/Review
Back in October, Arizona’s
Superintendent of Public
Instruction, Diane Douglas
ran a strongly anti-Common
Core election campaign. A
strategy that helped her win
handily in Cochise County.
However, on Saturday,
amongst a small group of
about 50 administrators,
teachers, and parents, test-
ing, not Common Core stan-
dards were the main con-
cerns that parents shared
with the superintendent.
“Our problem is not Com-
mon Core, it is the num-
ber of test we are forced to
teach,” said, Terry Romo, Si-
erra Vista Assistant Super-
intendent of Curriculum
and Instruction.
Romo compared the altera-
tion of test standards to play-
ing a game of Jenga.
“We can keep taking out
wooden blocks or we can
add them, but eventually our
MARK.LEVYSVHERALD.COM
Arizona Superintendent
of Public Education Diane
Douglas talks with attendees
at Saturday’s“We Are Listening
Tour”meeting at Buena High
School. She will have visited 14
various locations in the state
throughout the tour.
Council differs on cell tower approval
City also approves
digital signs
SeeTOUR,PageA9
SeeCOUNCIL,PageA7
SeeMALDONADO,PageA10
Teachers, school board
members, administrators
turn out for tour
CHEESE
QUEEN
NEIGHBORS, C1
BISBEE NATIVE
BRINGS EXPERTISE
HOME
Feedingthehungry,
onemouthatatime
PHOTOS BY MARK.LEVYSVHERALD.COM
Renee Mills walks toward a bench so she can have lunch as Dan Maldonado carries her plate Friday in Bisbee. Mills said,“They always
have good food. Always awesome.
Dan Maldonado stocksThe Free Community Fridge Friday in
Bisbee. Maldonado stocks the refrigerator daily and says 12 to
18 people use it.The Bisbee restaurant Poco donates food for
Maldonado to feed the homeless and he receives cash donations
from individuals.
Formerly homeless
carpenter feeds the
hungry in his hometown
Amanon
amission