Valley Food Bank Feels Pinch During Economic Crisis

The Arizona food bank United Food Bank is feeling the fallout from the economic crisis with an increase of needed help, and a decrease of those being able to offer help, according to Donna Rodgers the Director of Resource Development for the food bank.

Rodgers said as the finical crisis has continued, United Food Bank has seen a large increase in the number of people requiring their assistance to make it through the hard times, especially in the emergency food boxes that the food bank provides.

“The need for boxes has increased almost 40 percent, yet our ability to fill the order of agencies has become more difficult,” said Rodgers.

United Food Bank services all over central and east Arizona this includes; the entire East Valley, Gila County, Pinal County, Southern Navajo County, and Southern Apache County. United Food Bank also works with different schools and around 235 non-profit agencies to get meals to those in needs.

Rodgers noted with the increase in needed assistance, the agencies United Food Bank works with are finding it harder and harder to fill those orders.

“We attempt to fill their orders as best we can, but we cannot give them what we do not have. We track the amount we cannot fill as “unfilled pounds”. In comparing the first quarter of this fiscal year to first quarter of last fiscal year our “unfilled pounds” increase 38 percent,” said Rodgers”

Even with many people cutting back on their spending habits, Rodgers has seen the charity of many people stepping up to help out with what they can. However, the number of people offering help is not enough to counterbalance the number of people requiring help from the food banks.

“We are finding that even these tough times, people are coming forward to help, but cannot at the level they would like. We don’t want them to be discouraged. We are very grateful for any help they can give us…no gift is too small,” said Rodgers.

There are ways to help out the food bank without actually donating food or money, although both are critical to the food banks. Getting the word out about future events that are being held is also a big help and volunteers are always needed.

“We don’t advertise to the cost, we try to keep our overhead down and use our monetary resources to acquire food. So anyone who can help spread the word of need at UFB is a tremendous help to us,” said Rodgers.

To find out more about United Food Bank, volunteer opportunities, or how you can help you can visit their website at http://www.unitedfoodbank.com/. 

By Heidi McLarty
Guest contributor from Walter Cronkite School of Journalism

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