PHOENIX — Seniors and families across the Valley are having a hard time keeping their pantries stocked due to the rising cost of living.
St. Mary’s Food Bank staff members witness people constantly struggling with food insecurity.
The Surprise location can have up to 800 people come through the doors each day.
“Four or five years ago, it was seeing 180 to 200 clients a day,” St. Mary Food Bank’s Director of Media Relations Jerry Brown said.
Both the Surprise and Phoenix locations see nearly 10,000 people a week needing food boxes.
How does St. Mary’s Food Bank help seniors and families?
Valley seniors often depend on their monthly social security income alone.
“Their monthly check is not making it through the month and they’re using Saint Mary’s as a buffer,” Brown said.
One of those thankful seniors was Evelyn Coombs.
“It’s wonderful and I’m very thankful they have things like this for us seniors,” Coombs said.
“I’m on social security and Medicare and between the two I really don’t have money left over for food.”
Coombs said she is very grateful for how Saint Mary’s allows her to select the food items in her box.
“So, when you go home, it just looks like you went to the grocery store,” Brown said.
It’s especially important when it comes to seniors who may have dietary restrictions and may not need as much food as a younger person.
During the summer months, the food bank has more families with children who are in need.
When school is out, parents can’t depend on a school meal to get through the day.
Lydia Blake is the mother of two children and depends on Saint Mary’s to help feed her family.
Blake said she received food stamps, but it isn’t enough to cover the cost of food for an entire month.
“It really helped my family out, just knowing I don’t have to really stress and worry about it all the time,” Blake said.
She is worried about being able to feed her family if federal legislators decide to cut back on assistance programs.
The group hopes to continue to help people like Blake and Coombs and are in constant need of donations.
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