Shutdown Deepens Need for Food in AZ!

St. Mary’s Food Bank, which began in Phoenix in 1967 as the first food bank ever, provides enough food each week for 50,000 Arizonans. But those numbers are surging because of the government shutdown.

As of press time, the shutdown has choked off federal funding of SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). SNAP gives families and individuals money each month to buy groceries. For many families, SNAP is just one of the ways to put food on the table. Getting food boxes from St. Mary’s or other nonprofits in its network is another.

“There are people who use both food banks and (SNAP) to get through the month, and those who just use (SNAP) and haven’t been to a food bank,” says Jerry Brown, public relations director for St. Mary’s. “We’re expecting to see an increase in the frequency of the people who already know about us and then people coming to us who have never been to a food bank.” But the number of Arizonans losing their SNAP benefits is staggering—more than 900,000 people! There are also thousands of federal workers here going without pay. “That’s not something that’s sustainable long-term,” Brown warns.

St. Mary’s Food Bank has been stocking up and bracing itself for weeks. Food banks need a lot more donations of food and money. A federal court judge has ordered that the government REINSTATE SNAP payments. 

“Canned food is something that’s really important and easy to collect. So a school food drive or neighborhood food drives or church food drives—those are things that kids can get involved in,” Brown encourages.

Cans of fruits and veggies, and meal-like cans like Chef Boyardee, soups, stews or chili work well. Tuna is a versatile protein, and peanut butter tops the list for families, Brown shares. Rice, pasta and beans help, too. Getting adults like your folks to donate money is a huge boost to the food bank. They can go to StMarysFoodBank.org to find ways they can help.