Chandler and Tempe are among the Valley communities receiving investments from Maricopa County to support food-insecure populations.

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors voted to give an additional $500,000 to the Arizona Food Bank Network to assist communities in need.

In 2021, Feeding America classified 9.2% of Maricopa County residents, or 400,830 individuals, as food insecure, or lacking regular access to “enough food for an active, healthy life.”

Chandler will receive $125,000 for safe and affordable housing, and Tempe receives $62,500 for food and nutrition services.

“Rising inflation has made it difficult for families in Maricopa County to afford basic necessities like groceries, housing, and gas,” Jack Sellers, Maricopa County Board of Supervisors chairman and District 1 representative, shared in a press release.

“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.”

This money, part of Maricopa County’s allocation of federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars, will be used to provide operational grants to distribute shelf-stable food, fresh food, federal commodities, grocery donations, and fresh produce to both food-insecure populations and agencies that support food-insecure populations across the county.

Arizona Food Bank Network partners have served nearly 700,000 households in the past year and provided more than 11.4 million pounds of food across Maricopa County with the funds already invested.

This past December the Board of Supervisors also approved more than $399,000 in Community Services Block Grant money for Avondale, Chandler, Surprise, Tempe, and Tolleson to provide housing and nutrition assistance to income-qualified individuals and families within those communities.

This funding was made available by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and administered by the Maricopa County Human Services Department.

Visit Maricopa.gov/HelpWithBills for more information on programs and services available through the Maricopa County Human Services Department.