Arizona’s largest food bank, St. Mary's, has expanded its Phoenix campus. The organization opened a new volunteer center Wednesday.
One in eight Arizonans already face food insecurity. But St. Mary’s reports demand is increasing even more as rising costs of housing, utilities and groceries stretch family budgets thin.
Speaking at the grand opening event for the food bank expansion, Gov. Katie Hobbs said the government shutdown and federal cuts to programs like SNAP are also creating more need for the food bank.
“It has ripple effects, it taxes programs like this even more,” Hobbs said. “It is no secret that we are facing challenging times ahead when it comes to these critical safety net programs that so many Arizonans rely on.”
The new St. Mary’s facility adds storage capacity and parking for the food bank.
