As food assistance needs continue to climb across Arizona, Hope for Hunger Food Bank in Glendale is serving more families than ever while finding new ways to keep up with demand.

The food bank, operated by Phoenix Rescue Mission, now distributes roughly 21,000 pounds of food each day and serves more than 250 families, said Johnathan Molina, the organization’s director of distribution.

Demand has surged in recent months, driven by a combination of factors, including the end of the school year, a rising cost of living and a growing number of Arizonians losing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.

“We’ve seen those recent rises in the last couple of months, which is when school was out,” Molina said. “You got more kids eating at home that are regularly eating breakfast and lunch at school. Now that family has to provide those meals.”

Hope for Hunger served 53% more households in May than it did during the same month last year. Despite the increase, Molina said the food bank has adapted by redesigning its distribution model.

Previously, families parked and walked through the distribution process. Today, the food bank uses a drive-thru system that allows staff and volunteers to serve significantly more people in less time.

“We’ve moved to a drive-thru style, which has increased efficiency by a ton,” Molina said. “We’ve seen 300-plus families and have been able to sustain that. With the old model, it just wasn’t possible.”

Hope for Hunger, 5605 N. 55th Ave., distributes food 8 a.m.-noon Monday through Friday. The food bank accepts public donations and is in acute need of canned foods and other nonperishable items.

Distribution changes have allowed the organization to meet growing demand without a major increase in volunteer numbers.

For Domion Alarid, a food distributor coordinator at the food bank since last summer, the increase is impossible to miss.

“Oh yeah,” Alarid said when asked if he noticed the growing need. “Earlier this year, kind of later last year, food stamps were cut off. Now we’ve gone to doing an average of up to 300 households a day.”

Many families tell Alarid they are struggling after losing SNAP benefits or facing unemployment. He said one of the most rewarding parts of his job is building relationships with the families who return week after week.

“I think about the individual themselves and what they’re accomplishing between each day that they come,” he said. “The whole goal is to not consistently have them here every month but hopefully support them until they make it on their own.”

He recalled a mother who came to the food bank after losing her job and leaving a difficult domestic situation. Months later, she returned with good news.

“She came back and just thanked us because she got a job,” Alarid said. “We helped her through that rough period.”

Phoenix Rescue Mission operates additional food distribution sites in Phoenix, Surprise and other Valley communities. The organization is also expanding mobile pantry programs to reach under served areas.

According to Marcos Gaucin Jr., a team member at Hope for Hunger, the organization’s mission remains straightforward despite the challenges.

“The goal is to feed more people in more places,” Gaucin Jr. said.