ARIZONA NEWS

Maricopa County adds $500,000 to food assistance program

Jan 26, 2024, 4:05 AM | Updated: 6:29 am

America Food Bank Network to get $500K to feed Maricopa County...

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors will invest $500K in the Arizona Food Bank Network. (AFBN Photos/via Facebook)

(AFBN Photos/via Facebook)

PHOENIX – The Arizona Food Bank Network will get an extra $500,000 to support food-insecure populations in Maricopa County, officials announced Thursday.

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors voted to invest the extra money on Jan. 10. Its Thursday announcement said over 400,000 people in the county lack regular access to food they need.

That means 9.2% of Maricopa County residents don’t have enough food to live active, healthy lives, according to officials.

The chairman of the board, Jack Sellers, said worsening financial issues make it harder for people to feed themselves.

“Rising inflation has made it difficult for families in Maricopa County to afford basic necessities like groceries, housing and gas,” Sellers said in a statement.

“While there is still work to be done to curb rising costs, this continued collaboration with the Arizona Food Bank Network is a meaningful way to put food on the table for households that are struggling to make ends meet,” he added.

Where did the money for Arizona Food Bank Network come from?

The money comes from the federal American Rescue Plan Act. Maricopa County will use part of its ARPA dollars to help food assistance programs distribute various goods, like:

– Shelf-stable food.
– Fresh food.
– Federal commodities.
– Grocery donations.
– Fresh produce.

These goods will either go directly to people in need or to agencies that serve food-insecure populations across Maricopa County.

The $500K the board approved last week builds on the $3 million Maricopa County already invested in Arizona food banks, officials said.

The board has also approved over $399K to fund housing and nutrition assistance in Avondale, Chandler, Surprise, Tempe and Tolleson. That chunk of change came from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Maricopa County Human Services Department administrated that initiative.

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Maricopa County adds $500,000 to food assistance program