PHOENIX – Food banks in the Valley are struggling to keep up with increased demand.
Monday marked a very busy morning at St. Mary’s Food Bank in Phoenix, where spokesperson Jerry Brown expressed concern over the timing of the government shutdown.
What they’re saying:
“If the government shutdown runs into Thanksgiving distribution, we’re going to have an interesting couple of weeks,” Brown said.
One of the clients in line first thing was Carrie, who came to pick up a food box after her SNAP benefits were cut due to the shutdown.
“I get $119 every month, but it helps,” Carrie said. “We live in a 55-plus community. It really helps because what I don’t want, I give to other people because we’re all seniors.”
Brown said last week was busier than normal for the organization.
“Kind of like a Thanksgiving week,” he said. “We were 10-15% over the already record numbers across our network — more than 50,000 families. We’ll have to see what this week brings.”
Dig deeper:
Brown noted they are seeing a lot of first-time clients and that this month is typically their busiest. It’s all hands on deck as they try to keep up with the recent uptick.
“We’re out purchasing more food,” Brown said. “We have a rainy day fund we’re dipping into to make sure that everybody is good. We’re looking at expanding hours if we need to.”
Carrie is grateful for the extra support. “This is going to help me, and it’s going to help other people,” she said. “What I don’t use, I’m going to help other people, so I’m going to bless other people.”
What you can do:
Brown emphasized that the food bank is always looking for more volunteers. He added that cash donations are best so they can buy food in bulk, though canned goods are also a great option.
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