Local food banks in Pima County are working together to ensure thousands of families facing food insecurity have a main dish for their holiday meals this season.
Interfaith Community Services, Greater Vail Community ReSources, Marana Food Bank and Community Resource Center, Sahuarita Food Bank and Community Resource Center and Arivaca Human Resources collaborated on a bulk order of about 36,000 pounds of whole chickens to serve approximately 12,000 households.
"To not have a chicken or turkey at Christmas or during the holiday season, it seems to be wrong. We saw a lot of smiles today, a lot of people that are happy," said Tom McKinney, CEO of Interfaith Community Services.
The collaboration comes as all three food bank representatives who spoke with KGUN 9 report seeing increased need in the community. The organizations decided to pool their resources after wanting to find ways to have a greater impact together.
"We have run into situations where we run out of protein to share with our families - what this will do is ensure access to healthy protein for families right here in our community," said Callie Tippett, Executive Director of Greater Vail Community Resources.
Beyond providing nutrition, the whole chickens help create a sense of normalcy for families during the holidays.
"And it feels traditional, and it feels like 'I'm having a normal moment here in our family, even though we're experiencing some food insecurity, we're going to have a festive meal,' and that can make all the difference," Tippett said.
The massive shipment arrived Tuesday morning and is being distributed among the participating food banks to reach families throughout Pima County.
"We can't give everyone a whole turkey, unfortunately, but we hope that this whole chicken will help them out," said Luissel Palma, Program Manager for the Marana and Sahuarita Food Banks.
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