What’s new at the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona
The food bank is going through a major revolution.
Food insecurity is a global issue, with communities all over the world attempting to aid hunger. In America, 119 billion pounds is wasted each year according to Feeding America.
Food waste is a global problem, and the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona is no exception.
The food bank handles millions of pounds of food each year. Last year, the food bank provided more than half a million meals.
To manage their produce, the food bank needed a better system. The solution was to create an internal app called “Produce Walk App.” Through the app, food handlers can track quality control.
Using the app, food bank employees can see what produce looks like at different points of the shipping process. Employees simply snap a picture at each stage and post it on the app.
”Part of the reason for the app is … I took these pictures of these tomatoes, they were fine Friday. By Tuesday, I don’t like the looks of them,” said Norma Cable, public relations manager for the food bank.
The app helps with situations where the food bank needs proof and status checks on produce quality.
“So all those steps along the way become really just this incredible journey that we have to keep track of,” Cable said.
The pandemic heavily contributed to the food insecurity problem, and the number of guests at the food bank rose. Those numbers started to lower, but due to inflation, numbers have risen again.
“But now with inflation, and the housing crisis that we’re in, gas prices being high, what we’re seeing right now, we just looked at the numbers for May, and they’re up 20%, across the board,” Cable said.
Inflation has caused people to make conscious decisions about where they spend their money. The food bank has been forced to make these decisions as well.
“And so we’re just holding on,” Cable said. “We were able to handle COVID Because we had extra food coming in because the government provided aid. And all of those steps that were in place during the pandemic have gone away.”
Gas prices increasing has affected transportation and made it costly.
“Fuel costs affect us too, right?” Cable said. “Because we’re sending trucks out across southern Arizona. So, fingers crossed, we’ll be okay.”
The food bank provides 30 pound boxes of food for seniors in the community. Many seniors have a hard time cooking for themselves, especially if they live alone.
The bank offers food that is both healthy and filling for seniors. The box includes juice, cereal, veggies again, proteins and beans.
With an increasing population of elderly people, the food bank focuses on accommodating their needs. The food bank is working on a new program to deliver food to elderly people’s homes.
Food bank employees noticed that many times seniors have a difficult time carrying heavy boxes of food back home. The new food bank program will help broaden access to elderly people in the community who are in need of food.
The program also offers seniors specialized food according to their needs and wants. Separate food is prepared for elderly guests of the food bank from meals that are prepared to the general public.This accommodation ensures that the senior community will be satisfied with their food and that it is suitable for any dietary need that may arise.
The food bank works with Feeding America, a nationwide network, to feed their community. They partner with over 350 organizations to serve over five counties in southern Arizona, covering over 23,000 square miles.
This food bank was named food bank of the year by Feeding America largely due to their work with farmers on the border of Mexico. They were able to rescue produce that was going to be wasted, and redistribute it into communities, local families and other food banks.
Story Credit: This story was reported, written and produced by the entire 2023 Donald W. Carson Journalism Diversity Workshop cohort.
