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.
