Maricopa County awarding an additional $3M to support food bank operations

PHOENIX — Maricopa County announced Tuesday another $3 million will be awarded to area food banks to support operations, bringing the total support from federal recovery aid to $6 million over the past two years.

The latest funding for the food banks comes from the American Rescue Plan Act, with the previous money provided from the CARES Act in 2020, and will go toward ensuring Arizona Food Bank Network organizations have the proper equipment, staffing and supplies needed to help hungry people in Maricopa County.

“With more Maricopa County families unsure about where they’ll get their next meal, board members felt it was absolutely essential to allocate some federal recovery funds to our local food banks,” Board of Supervisors Chairman Bill Gates of District 3 said in a press release.

“If we could prevent a single family or child from going hungry, it would be worth it. But the fact is, with this funding, we are helping thousands upon thousands of people.”

Funding to the more than 30 grant recipients under St. Mary’s Food Bank and United Food Bank will be used to increase food storage capacity, food purchases, staffing needs, as well as refrigeration and food distribution equipment.

The member organizations identified needs through a grantmaking system, the county said, with nearly $624,000 of the $3 million already being awarded.

Maricopa County was provided $435 million last year in the American Rescue Plan Act to help multiple issues related to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A dashboard of spending on the county’s website shows just about $415 million of the funding has been allocated with nearly $116 million spent.

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