Goodyear food drive aims to help families amid SNAP delays

As Arizona families face delays in receiving federal food assistance during the ongoing government shutdown, a local community group is organizing a weeklong food drive to help fill the gap.

The grassroots organization GATHER will host a Daily Food Drive from Nov. 3 to Nov. 7 at 10300 Estrella Parkway in Goodyear, near North Lake in Estrella. Community members are invited to drop off nonperishable food items between 5 and 7 p.m. each evening.

All donations will go to the Agua Fria Food & Clothing Bank, which serves residents in the southwest Valley and has reported an increase in demand for emergency food assistance since federal nutrition benefits were reduced earlier this year.

Requested donations include canned vegetables, beans, soup, rice, pasta, cereal, peanut butter, shelf-stable milk, baby formula, and cooking oil. Volunteers are also needed each evening to help sort and transport donations.

The food drive comes as the U.S. Department of Agriculture has instructed states to delay issuing November benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known in Arizona as Nutrition Assistance, while the federal government shutdown continues. The pause affects hundreds of thousands of Arizonans who rely on the program for groceries.

According to USDA data, about 887,000 Arizona residents received SNAP benefits in May 2025. The program provides monthly stipends to help low-income households purchase food.

“This is what community looks like — people coming together to make sure their neighbors have food on the table,” said Jen Spencer, founder of GATHER. “Arizona families are resilient, but they shouldn’t have to face hunger alone.”

Spencer, a tech industry executive and former CEO, started GATHER earlier this year with a group of local residents interested in civic engagement and community support. The group previously organized a protest event in Goodyear on Oct. 18.

The Agua Fria Food & Clothing Bank, a faith-based nonprofit, provides emergency food, clothing, and other services to about 50,000 people each year. The organization reports that nearly 2 million Arizonans experience food insecurity annually and that one in three children in the state live in poverty.

For more information about the food drive or volunteer opportunities, contact gathercoalition@gmail.com.

Visit des.az.gov/na for Nutrition Assistance updates.