TUCSON, AZ — Pima County Supervisor Matt Heinz is calling for emergency financial aid to help Tucson-area food banks meet an urgent spike in demand.
Heinz will introduce an agenda item at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting to allocate $600,000 for the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, along with $200,000 for the Sahuarita and Marana Food Banks and Community Resource Centers.
The funding request comes as local food banks experience a surge in visitors following the recent federal government shutdown.
“We’re starting to see a lot of federal employees that have been furloughed that are starting to utilize food bank services for the very first time,” said Carlos Valles, Executive Director of the Marana and Sahuarita Food Bank and Community Resource Center. “And we’re also starting to see a small group of military members that are utilizing our food bank services.”
Valles says food banks are now bracing for additional pressure as cuts to SNAP benefits are set to take effect November 1.
“We’re kind of just bracing for an influx of people whose benefits have been cut seeking food to offset those cuts,” Valles said. “During the pandemic, we experienced record numbers, but in the last month—especially October—we’re seeing a lot of new registrations, a lot of people who have never used the food bank. They’re struggling right now.”
With the combination of federal furloughs and benefit reductions, Valles says the coming weeks could bring even higher demand.
“The longer the furlough goes on, we’re going to continue to see an increase,” he said. “The $200,000 isn’t going to solve every issue, but it’ll help lessen the blow and help us purchase more food for those cuts. If we get approval, we’ll jump right in to help cushion that blow.”
Valles and other food bank leaders are urging community members to step up through donations and volunteer work to help keep up with demand during this challenging period.
