SAHUARITA FOOD BANK
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Mission Statement
We strive to meet the nutritional needs of the hungry through the acquisition and distribution of healthy food. In collaboration with community partners and clients, we also address the causes of hunger through education, workforce development, coaching and other human services.
About This Cause
One quarter of the 80,000 residents within ten miles of Sahuarita and Green Valley live in economic insufficiency, commonly defined as having a household income below 185% of poverty. Many of these residents and their children suffer from food-insufficiency. For 13 years, the Sahuarita Food Bank has been distributing food to our neighbors, with annual growth in those seeking food from 20-30% per year. In addition to meeting the acute need for food, we established our Community Resource Center (CRC) in 2018, with a second mission of supporting the journey of those who want to improve their family and economic security. In 2022, with the incredible support of our community, we have completed construction of a new 14,300 facility that will accommodate both food distribution and the CRC. The three pillars of the CRC are family support, health/nutrition programs, and workforce development. The CRC is focusing particularly on developing job skills. Education and job skill levels are inversely related to economic insufficiency. In the area census tracts with the highest median household incomes, 95% of the adult population has at least a high school education and nearly 50% have a bachelor’s degree. In Summit, a very low-income community, only 28% have high school diplomas and only 3.5% have a bachelor’s degree. A 2017 survey by local non-profit agencies of 172 low-income clients found jobs and job skills among the greatest perceived needs. A 2020 survey by SFB-CRC of 109 low-income women found interest in a home food business (22%), a home childcare business (14%), line and prep cooking (9%), Certified Caregiver skills (23%), basic work skills (25%), job search skills (17%), and computer skills (37%). The skill areas they identified coincide very well with the needs of our area’s business community. A survey of local businesses by the Green Valley/Sahuarita Chamber of Commerce indicates that 100% find it difficult to hire qualified entry-level workers. Potential hires often need training in basic personal and interpersonal skills as well as basic technical skills such as using a computer. Elder care facilities have shortages in Certified Caregivers and Certified Nurse Assistants, and restaurants and institutional kitchens need line and prep cooks. Over time, our goal is for more residents of our area to be economically self-sufficient so that they will not need a food bank or other safety-net programs in the future. Please join us in meeting this goal!