United Food Bank Helps Set Thanksgiving Tables
The Monday before Thanksgiving, United Food Bank helped to serve 1,847 households and 8,467 individuals a Thanksgiving meal. After a long year with rising prices of food, rent and gas prices, families have been very stressed about where their next meal is coming from, let alone a Thanksgiving meal. “We wouldn’t be having Thanksgiving if it wasn’t for this food and help,” said one neighbor, Barb. Another neighbor, Nadine, said “This year has been kind of tight. The food we receive will be a supplement for what we have, thank goodness. We are looking forward to having leftovers and making things stretch”
Compared to previous years, United Food Bank has seen an unprecedented rise in the number of families needing assistance. At the 2021 Thanksgiving distribution, United Food Bank served 1,669 households and 7,692 individuals. While some families didn’t return this year, there were 498 new households attending their first distribution with United Food Bank.
Dorothea was a first-time recipient of food assistance. She told a staff member, “I went to the grocery store yesterday but didn’t buy a turkey… It cost too much. This is my first time being here, I just retired in January. I’ve always been OK but social security doesn’t quite cover everything.”
The food provided to families this Thanksgiving included a fresh turkey, a box of produce, holiday bags including all the “fixin’s,” potatoes, cereal, milk, eggs and grapes. Each household received about 53 pounds of food and in total, United Food Bank distributed 96,810 pounds of food.
Some people came and were also picking up for other family members or neighbors. Two neighbors came together and said, “We each take a box home for our families. My mom is disabled and can’t leave her house. I am picking up a box for her today, too. That’s where I am headed after this. I have to clean out her fridge to fit all this food. Anything we don’t eat, we give to our neighbors. No food is wasted and we share this blessing with everyone we can.” Another attendee of the distribution, Cathy, announced ‘We’ll be sharing this with our neighbors who couldn’t get here. I was raised to share with others.”
United Food Bank is especially thankful this Thanksgiving for all of the donors, staff and volunteers who make events like this possible. We could not help feed Arizona without the help and support of every person that contributes. “Donors who give are guardian angels. If it wasn’t for donors, some of us would go without this meal” (Angie and Maria, neighbors).
Written by Sarah Bathe
