
Food Bank
FOOD BANK HOURS
Fridays 8:00am – 11:00am, DRIVE THRU DISTRIBUTION
Neighborhood Ministries' Food Bank has been providing emergency food distribution in inner-city Phoenix for 40 years; it offers a tangible way for Neighborhood Ministries to comprehensively care for Phoenix’s underserved communities by addressing local food insecurity and connecting vulnerable families to Neighborhood Ministries’ other wrap-around services. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of families seeking emergency food boxes from our Food Bank has increased dramatically in the past three years. Prior to 2020, emergency food boxes were distributed to an average of 800 unduplicated households annually; however, in 2021 the Food Bank served 1,798 unduplicated households (representing 7,341 individuals), and in 2022, it served 3,290 families (representing 13,740 individuals). Of families served in 2022, 516 were first-time clients of the food bank.
Today, the Food Bank promotes year-round food security among low-income, primarily Latinx families of inner-city Phoenix by providing 70 households each week with emergency food boxes containing an average of 107 pounds of shelf-stable foods, meat, dairy products, and fresh fruits and vegetables. Each food box contains 21-30 meals, and each meal is designed to serve a family of 4-5 members. While 94% of the food distributed will be acquired free of charge, 6% of the food is purchased at discounted rates in order to (1) provide well-rounded nutritious meals and (2) keep up with the increased demand as a result of the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the vast majority of households served by our Food Bank are Latinx, we intentionally aim to fill emergency food boxes with culturally relevant food not typically donated. This includes things like tortillas, maseca, caldo de pollo/caldo de res, tajin, tomatillo, queso fresca, crema mexicana, chorizo, cilantro, jalapenos, ground beef, chicken and pork, and serrano peppers.
For more information, contact Sam at sam.solis@nmphx.com