More than 1 million Arizonans face food insecurity, including roughly one in seven adults and nearly one in five children. Recent estimates show more than 428,000 Arizona children live in households without consistent access to enough nutritious food, while nearly 450,000 Arizonans rely on SNAP benefits to help make ends meet.”
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OPINION — For some, summer in the Valley of the Sun means staycations and pool parties. For others, it means escaping to cooler locales like Flagstaff or Southern California.
But for many, summer is a season of food insecurity, when rising utility bills, higher grocery and gas prices, and strained household budgets collide with the loss of the reliable breakfasts and lunches many children receive during the school year, putting even greater pressure on families already struggling.
More than 1 million Arizonans face food insecurity, including roughly one in seven adults and nearly one in five children. Recent estimates show more than 428,000 Arizona children live in households without consistent access to enough nutritious food, while nearly 450,000 Arizonans rely on SNAP benefits to help make ends meet. The issue stretches well beyond any one neighborhood or demographic, impacting working families, seniors, veterans and households across both urban and rural communities throughout the state.
The good news: People in communities across the state want to help.
The challenge: Many simply do not know where to start.
Food insecurity can feel overwhelming because it is everywhere, touching every corner of the state and every stage of life. Yet some of the most meaningful change begins at the grassroots level, when neighbors support organizations already doing the hard work of feeding families, restoring dignity and creating long-term solutions rooted in community.
Food banks and community pantries also play a critical role in addressing immediate needs, ensuring that families have access to meals when budgets are stretched beyond their limits. These organizations are often the first line of support during difficult seasons, helping bridge the gap between hardship and stability while connecting individuals and families to additional resources. Strengthening and supporting these efforts, especially during the summer months, is among the fastest and most meaningful ways communities can make a difference.
One organization making a measurable impact is Activate Food Arizona through its Farm Express Mobile Market program. Operating since 2014, the mobile produce markets bring high-quality, affordable fruits and vegetables directly into communities throughout Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa where healthy food access is limited.
The markets sell food at cost and accept cash, credit cards, SNAP benefits and Double Up Food Bucks, allowing families using SNAP to take home twice as much produce. Activate Food Arizona has served more than 150,000 individuals and families while working toward a future where every Arizonan has the ability to make informed food decisions and access nutritious options close to home.
Central Arizona Shelter Services is also helping some of the state’s most vulnerable residents through The Haven, Arizona’s first emergency shelter dedicated to older adults experiencing homelessness. Designed to feel more like a residential community than a shelter, The Haven includes private bedrooms and bathrooms, communal gathering areas, landscaped walking paths and trauma-informed design elements intended to promote safety, stability and healing.
The program also helps ensure that residents have access to daily meals and the support needed to improve long-term health outcomes for aging adults facing housing and food insecurity simultaneously.
Regenerating Sonora is approaching the issue from another angle by strengthening local food systems and reducing stigma around receiving support. The organization provides free meals, transportation assistance, a cooling center and essential resources for community members in need while also investing in its Eat Local Initiative. From teaching children how to grow vegetables to supporting local farmers with tools and distribution opportunities, Regenerating Sonora is building a stronger network of food security designed to serve Arizona communities for generations.
While a true year-round challenge, the food insecurity that intensifies during the summer months demands a resounding response from this community.
Find one of these organizations — or one in your community — and ask what they need. Every little bit helps. For those unsure where to begin, the Arizona Food Bank Network is among the best places to start. It connects Arizonans with food banks and community pantries statewide and helps residents identify organizations closest to home.
Certainly, donate if able. But there are other ways to help, as well. Set aside time with family, friends or coworkers to volunteer. Submit an organization for financial support through a workplace giving program. Spread the word about an impactful organization in the community through social media channels.
Every action matters.
Arizona can and must work together to ensure that no one — children, families or seniors — spends the summer worried about where the next meal will come from.
Debbie Hillman Toll is chief administrative officer and Trisha Stuart is director of community relations at Mercy Care, a Valley nonprofit working to support food security this summer via its Mercy C.A.R.E.S. community reinvestment platform through volunteer hours, event sponsorships and financial contributions. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.
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