Phoenix Food Banks See Increased Need This Holiday Season

PHOENIX — St. Mary's Food Bank in Phoenix has been around for over 53 years of service to the community, but 2020 is no average year with the coronavirus continuing to rage across the U.S and Arizona.

Jerry Brown, the food bank's vice president of public relations, has been with the organization for 11 years and saw it through the 2008 recession. St. Mary's is the world's oldest food bank and one of the country's largest, but it's struggling to keep up with the demand.

"In those 53 years, we've never seen a year like this," Brown told Patch.

The food bank sent out a survey after lines persisted at the height of the pandemic, when job losses, reduced work hours and school closures, and the loss of free meals for many kids, drove rows of cars to St. Mary's for contactless food pick-up. Brown said that over 50 percent of the survey's respondents had come to get food help for the first time this year. Many of them, according to Brown, are former donors and volunteers themselves.

"When a car pulls up and you see somebody that you recognize from being a volunteer, and all of a sudden they need a little help to get through it, it certainly does have an impact on you," he said.

Before the pandemic threw millions of Americans into unemployment, 515,130 Maricopa County residents were considered food insecure, or 12.1 percent. The continuing economic fallout from the health pandemic has swollen that number to 15.6 percent who are on the brink of hunger.

That need is set to increase as the food bank heads into the holidays — already a time of need as families search for ways to put a Thanksgiving meal or Christmas dinner on the table.

St. Mary's began its Thanksgiving food box distribution Monday, which it will continue on Tuesday and Wednesday. Monday saw over 4,000 come through at its Phoenix and Surprise locations to get a turkey and side dishes ahead of Thursday's holiday, with two more days to go. The food bank typically only serves 12,000 families total ahead of Thanksgiving.

Before this year, St. Mary's had never put out 10 million pounds of food before. In October, it put out 11 million pounds.

Federal funds and assistance from the Arizona National Guard have helped the "yeoman's effort," Brown said, but donations and volunteers are down as the number of hungry Phoenicians continues to rise. Before Thursday, St. Mary's hopes to raise enough money for 1,000 more turkeys for families in need.

"If you donate before Wednesday, and you donate in increments of $13, it costs about $13 to put a turkey in table for a family," he said. "If you make your donation in $13 increments, it will be matched by Desert Financial Credit Union and put another turkey on the table for a family."

Volunteers and donations are also top-of-mind for United Food Bank in Mesa, which serves the East Valley and parts of Eastern Arizona.

United put on its annual Thanksgiving distribution Friday. Approximately 2,600 families and over 10,700 individual people came through to pick up a holiday spread. Last year, United only distributed full Thanksgiving meals to 580 families and 2,035 individuals.

Tyson Nansel, vice president of external affairs for United Food Bank, attributes that rise to mass layoffs as the economic impacts of the virus continue to be felt, as well as senior citizens on a fixed income and families with reduced hours at work.

One woman Nansel met, a single mother named Andrea, has been furloughed from her job and her 5-year-old daughter is no longer receiving the subsidized meals provided at her school. She turned to United Food Bank and, in return, is coming back to volunteer and help others in similar situations.

Food drives and massive corporate volunteer groups that United usually sees this time of year have exacerbated that need for donations and people to help sort, pack and distribute boxes. Every dollar donated stretches to provide five meals.

"A lot of small businesses that are open are doing food drives, schools that are open that traditionally do food drives with us are doing them," he told Patch. "Unfortunately, those numbers have been small donations, but you know what, they're trying to get communities and students involved so that's a great thing to have them involved."

"If you have bills to pay, take that off your plate and let us put food on your plate," Nansel said of United's mission.

He said peanut butter, canned means and non-perishable fruits or vegetables are in high demand at the moment, as well as any holiday items like green beans or cranberry sauce. Like St. Mary's, United is keeping volunteers as safe as possible, requiring masks and gloves, doing temperature checks and keeping everyone spaced six feet apart.

United's next distribution will take place Dec. 4 and help serve its 200 partners, including Superstition Community Food Bank in Apache Junction and Superior Food Bank in the town of Superior. Every little bit helps, according to Nansel.

"We really got to see our mission and really sense of purpose during this pandemic, just because our numbers of food insecurity has increased at a rapid time," he said.

You can help St. Mary's fulfill its mission by volunteering or donate here and United Food Bank here.

Patch has partnered with Feeding America to help raise awareness on behalf of the millions of Americans facing hunger. Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks across the country, estimates that in 2020, more than 54 million Americans will not have enough nutritious food to eat due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations. Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you.

This article originally appeared on the Phoenix Patch