The Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona received a massive donation Tuesday morning — a truckload of food weighing 40,000 pounds, enough to feed about 33,000 people.
The donation came from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as part of a nationwide initiative. According to the food bank, it takes just over one pound of food to feed one person, making this donation significant for the community.
"They give me beans, rice, fruit, they give me vegetables," said Celia Reyes, who visits the food bank monthly.
Reyes has relied on the Community Food Bank for years. The food she receives each month feeds a household of four, including herself.
"It's a huge help. Everything they give me helps so much, there's always something to eat," Reyes said.
Reyes describes the food bank as a lifeline for her family.
"We don't have enough. You know, there's not a lot of work out there. Some days there is work and some days there isn't, so we have little money," Reyes said.
Community Food Bank CEO Natalie Jayroe said this donation helps make up the difference in donations after the organization saw cuts in federal food support last year.
"With one out of seven of our neighbors facing food insecurity every day and one out of five children, this is an amazing, amazing donation," Jayroe said.
Jayroe added that donations like these matter to make sure neighbors like Reyes have somewhere to turn for support.
A representative of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints tells me they are partnering with America250 and JustServe.org to support families facing hunger nationwide.
Tuesday's delivery to the Community Food Bank is part of a larger initiative donating 250 semi-truckloads of food to 250 food banks across all 50 states.
The Community Food Bank is located at 3003 S. Country Club Rd. Food distribution hours are here.
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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Jacqueline Aguilar is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born and raised in Yuma, AZ., she is no stranger to the unforgiving Arizona heat. Now this U of A wildcat is excited to be back in Tucson and is looking forward to involving herself in the community. Share your story ideas with Jacqueline by emailing jacqueline.aguilar@kgun9.com or connecting on Facebook, Instagram or X.
