Superstition Community Food Bank has 5 years to vacate its home of 33 years

After 33 years of serving the community from the Roy W. Hudson Pinal County Plaza in Apache Junction, the Superstition Community Food Bank has been given five years to relocate from its current facility.

The move is needed to make room for an expansion of Pinal County services at the complex on the southeast corner of Idaho Road and Superstition Boulevard.

In 2025, the food bank assisted 45,790 individuals and 18,114 families experiencing food insecurity, working to ensure that no neighbor goes hungry throughout Maricopa and Pinal Counties. The Food bank organization must now identify, secure and finance a new permanent home to ensure continued service to individuals and families facing hunger throughout Apache Junction and surrounding communities in the East Valley, according to a press release.

“We were certainly surprised when Pinal County told us that the food bank would need to find a new home,” Erik Arriola, executive director of the Superstition Community Food Bank, said in the release. “Like many significant changes, the news brought feelings of uncertainty and concern. Today, however, we stand in a place of hope. We believe this challenge presents an opportunity to create a permanent future for the Food Bank and the families we serve.”

The relocation from 575 N. Idaho Road Suite No. 701 represents one of the most significant challenges in the Food Bank’s 43-year history and will require substantial planning, community collaboration and financial investment to ensure uninterrupted service to local families. Pinal County’s five-year exit timeline provides an opportunity for thoughtful planning, identifying, acquiring, renovating or building a suitable facility for a modern food bank will require significant financial resources, strategic partnerships, and broad community support, it states.

The food bank is launching a relocation advisory committee and beginning the early planning stages of a community-wide capital campaign aimed at securing a permanent home for future generations.

The capital campaign will operate under the theme, “Securing Our Future, Feeding Our Community,” reflecting the organization’s commitment to ensuring long-term food security for local families.

The relocation advisory committee will bring together community leaders, business owners, design professionals, contractors, real estate experts, fundraisers and food bank supporters to help identify potential properties, evaluate facility needs, develop plans, and support fundraising efforts.

“The process has begun, and our goal is to have a clear path forward by the end of 2027,” Arriola said. “While the task ahead is significant, I choose to stay positive and view it as an opportunity. This is our chance to create a long-term solution that strengthens our ability to serve more families, expand our programs, and ensure the Food Bank remains a vital community resource for decades to come.”

For more than 43 years, the Superstition Community Food Bank has provided hope and nourishment to hundreds of thousands of individuals through its core programs, including providing emergency food services to qualified individuals and families in The Emergency Food Assistance Program, the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, holiday food boxes, and the student backpack food program.

The food bank’s vision extends beyond simply finding another location. Leadership seeks a permanent facility that will provide stability, accommodate future growth, expand program capacity, support volunteers, and allow the organization to meet the increasing needs of the community without the uncertainty of future displacement.

“This is our opportunity to leave a lasting legacy,” Arriola said. “Let us be remembered as the community that came together to ensure no family facing hunger would lose access to help. Together, we can secure a permanent home for the Food Bank and preserve this vital resource for future generations.”

The food bank is inviting community members, business leaders, architects, commercial real estate professionals, contractors, fundraisers, philanthropists, and other supporters to participate in the relocation advisory committee or contribute their expertise to the effort.

“We’re not just a food bank,” Arriola added. “We’re part of the community. It will take our entire village working together to make this vision a reality. Together, we can transform this challenge into an opportunity, and that opportunity into a permanent home to help the people we serve.”

For information, email info@superstitionfoodbank.org or go to superstititionfoodbank.org.