PHOENIX, July 29, 2020 – Mesa-based United Food Bank is partnering with ten local community organizations to create a Community Food Bank in the Town of Florence to help people in need of food assistance. Their first food distribution event will take place on Friday, July 31 from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. at Heritage Park, 600 N. Main St. in Florence, Ariz. Food assistance will be provided to anyone who needs it. This Community Food Bank will operate on the last Friday of each month going forward.
The organizations with which United Food Bank is partnering are:
First Baptist Church
Word of Life Ministries
Desert Rock Church
Higher Dimensions Church
Florence Baptist Church
Florence Unified School District
Anthem Community Manager
Florence Gardens Community Manager
Caliente Casa Del Sol Park Manager
Town of Florence
“Like many other locales, the Town of Florence has been greatly impacted by the pandemic,” noted Mayor Tara Walter. “We realized that as a community, we needed additional resources to meet these growing needs. This partnership between our local organizations and United Food Bank has come together very quickly to respond in a meaningful way.”
“These community partners identified an unmet need in their town and rose to the challenge of addressing it,” said Dave Richins, President and CEO of United Food Bank, which serves the East Valley and eastern Arizona. “We are glad to work to provide the food needed to make these monthly food distributions impactful and appreciate their commitment to providing the manpower to operate them.”
About United Food Bank:
United Food Bank currently serves an average of 1,700 households representing 6,000 people at its weekly food distribution events. At the peak of area unemployment in April (13.4%), the food bank served as many as 2,500 households (10,000 individuals) each week.
Food distribution to United Food Bank’s partner agencies have risen from pre-COVID levels of 1.6 million pounds of food per month to a current level of 2.2 million pounds monthly. Extreme heat also has increased the need for bottled water during these summer months.
Media Contact:
Barb Harris — 480-293-5573
