DOUGLAS, Ariz. (KGUN) — The Society of St. Vincent De Paul in Douglas feeds over 900 people a month — a number that has grown as costs rise and more people move to the area.
The nonprofit hands out food and provides meals every week, spending more than $5,000 a month to keep items available for those in need.
Nancie Ames, president of the Society of St. Vincent De Paul Douglas, said limited local employment is a key driver of demand.
"I think the fact that we don't have a lot of jobs in Douglas has a great impact on the number of people that are actually coming and getting food."
Changes to the food stamp program have also brought more people through the doors.
"We've just seen it's this interesting dynamic of people that we would think should be getting more food stamps that are not, and people that are getting them that are getting such a high amount," Ames said.
People are already lining up hours before Tuesday distributions to save their spot.
"They just don't have the opportunity to purchase enough food for their families," Ames said.
The nonprofit's goal, Ames said, is straightforward: "Our goal is just to make sure that they have an opportunity to get food."
As demand grows and prices rise, the organization is becoming more reliant on food drives to meet that goal.
"We are seeing more and more people, and there's more and more people in need, and everything is going up. It costs more this year than it did last year," Ames said.
To help bring in more food, the nonprofit is hosting its annual "Friend for the Poor" walk this Saturday at 9 a.m. at Immaculate Catholic Church in Douglas.
"That's one of the reasons we're having this Friend for the Poor walk this weekend because that will help us bring in food," Ames said.
Looking ahead, the organization is preparing to evaluate how much support it can sustain as its new fiscal year begins Oct. 1.
"We're getting ready to move into our next fiscal year, which starts October one, we're going to have to start evaluating as how much we're going to be able to continue to support people as we're seeing more and more people, and as prices are going up for everything," Ames said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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Alexis Ramanjulu is a reporter in Cochise County for KGUN 9. She began her journalism career reporting for the Herald/Review in Sierra Vista, which she also calls home. Share your story ideas with Alexis by emailing alexis.ramanjulu@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook.
