Food Bank seeks larger quarters

The shrinking economy means so many people are visiting the food bank that the agency is seeking a larger space. That would accommodate Green Valley and Sahuarita patrons and volunteers.

In Tucson, hungry families are getting a reduction from three monthly food boxes to two, though that change will not affect the Green Valley Community Food Bank, where patrons can choose their own groceries.

The local facility is often packed and saw 61 percent more patrons in June than a year earlier. And 64 percent of the current patrons are from Sahuarita, up from 57 percent last year, said Mary Jane Goodrick, branch manager. On a typical day, more than 40 families visit the facility, and during the summer many bring their children.

On a recent weekday, Kristy Johnroe of unincorporated Sahuarita pushed a shopping cart past shelves of canned and fresh goods, filling the cart for her family of seven, which includes her mother.

Johnroe said she depends on the food bank because her family has been hit hard by hard economic times, including the high price of gas needed to haul in drinking water, as well as employment cutbacks at local mines.

Volunteer Dottie Hill noted Johnroe was able to get fresh produce donated by the Green Valley Gardens, a group of community gardeners, and a watermelon donated by a local farmer.

Food bank staff said the system of letting shoppers choose their groceries appears to reduce the overall amount of food given out, as families only take what they will eat.

Food banks statewide have seen double-digit increases in the number of patrons in each of the past two months, Tucson Community Food Bank CEO and President William D. Carnegie said.

“The Community Food Bank would like to secure approximately two acres for the purpose of constructing a 10,000-square-foot facility to serve the needs of the Green Valley and Sahuarita communities. No funds have been secured for this purpose. The food bank hopes to acquire donated land and will then conduct a capital campaign to fund construction,” Carnegie said in an e-mail message.

Food bank development specialist Tony Bruno said he is contacting major property owners in Sahuarita as well as Green Valley in hopes of obtaining a land donation.

The current food bank, at 250 E. Continental Road, covers 4,000 square feet on a half-acre plot. It is becoming so cramped that the walk-in cooler last year was moved outside, and a door to the cooler was cut into the wall, to allow more space indoors for patrons and volunteers. Parking also is an issue, as the two dozen or so daily volunteers, many of them elderly, are asked to park on the dirt to leave paved spots for patrons.

“It is very crowded in the Green Valley Food Bank. Since we have a client choice type of system, more room is required in order to display the donated and purchased food on shelves. The more clients we serve, the more food we need and the more space we need in the warehouse to receive, sort and store the food. We make good use of the space we have but it does get a bit crazy on busy days,” Goodrick said.

“We’ve seen more people from Sahuarita partly just because of an (overall) increase in clients. We started seeing an increase when new homes were being built. Clients from Sahuarita aren’t necessarily living in trailer parks or apartments. We’re seeing some from Rancho Sahuarita and they’ve lost their income, or their husband has, or their hours were cut in half, various reasons. They may be temporarily unemployed,” Goodrick said.

Carnegie said, “The double digit increases being experienced are statewide and not unique to Southern Arizona. Actually, the trend appears to be nationwide with industrial states being the hardest hit.

“While a countywide restructuring of food bank distribution will most probably result in a reduction in the overall amount of food being distributed, this will not dramatically affect our operations in Green Valley. Hunger awareness in the Green Valley/Sahuarita community is high and the community strongly supports the food bank.

“The Green Valley Food Bank uses a client choice system, which allows people to shop for the foods they need. Elsewhere in the county, people receive food boxes and are not afforded a “choice” opportunity. Green Valley and Sahuarita clients should not notice any significant difference in the amount of food they receive,” Carnegie said.

The food bank in Tucson already has started reducing the amount of food given to clients by eliminating the third food box a family can get in any month.

A typical food box consists of a mix of products that will provide four to five meals.

“The Community Food Bank is somewhat unique in its production of food boxes, and is only one of four in the nation that uses this method. The program was designed to ensure the food bank was providing nutritious foods and not contributing to the health problems,” Carnegie said.

For example, the food bank does not provide sugared breakfast cereals, and some patrons complain about that.

pfranchine@sahuaritasun.com | 547-9738