Serving More Than Food: Local First Arizona Spotlight
“I am so excited, I love food! And I especially love the fresh produce and vegetables,” says Rebecca, a regular at Local First Arizona’s choice food pantry. Her family is full of gardeners, and as she chooses from the selection of vegetables, she discusses with the staff all of the different ways she and they can use them. “We can make great, big pickle spears with these cucumbers! My daughter loves pickles, so this is great.”
Rebecca’s excitement is shared throughout the community. The choice pantry provided at Local First Arizona is available to the residents of the surrounding complexes and neighbors in the community, primarily serving large households. What sets it apart is the residents’ exceptional sense of community, being so considerate of each other that they often hesitate to take more than they need.
“I often find myself encouraging them to take so much more, because I know how big their households are and want to make sure they get enough,” says the pantry’s coordinator, Amelia, as she offers carts for residents to carry everything, ensuring that every family is adequately supported.
Local First Arizona’s choice pantry in Arizona is also an initiative that prioritizes community support and responsible resource management. With food supplies coming from the United Food Bank and WasteNot, both committed to reducing food waste and ending food insecurity, any surplus or unclaimed food is sent to local food pantries, ensuring that no edible item goes to waste. This aligns with Local First Arizona’s emphasis on sustainability and supporting local businesses.
This pantry program creates a ripple effect in the community. Families experiencing food insecurity enjoy relief and support, reducing stress and finding one less thing to worry about. Through partnerships with organizations like the United Food Bank and WasteNot, Local First Arizona demonstrates that collaborative efforts are essential to address pressing social issues. showcases the transformative power of compassion and cooperation.
The Local First Arizona Foundation aims to build equitable systems for local businesses that create an inclusive and sustainable economy by strengthening, supporting, and celebrating entrepreneurship, rural and urban community development, racial equity, environmental action, and food access. Through their community kitchen where they host their food pantry, they provide a space for food entrepreneurs to rent out and grow their business. Amelia has been the Senior Manager for Food Entrepreneurship for the organization for two years, and remarks how as someone who has been in the industry for a while, it is refreshing and fulfilling to be able to help the community in a variety of ways.
You can learn more about Local First Arizona and their community kitchen at https://www.goodfoodfinderaz.com/food-entrepreneurship.
Written by KC Raguay
