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Food Bank has unexpected summer

By Bud Foster - email

Every summer, the community food bank struggles. As people leave town, donations drop but need somehow remains the same.

But this year is different.

"It's been a phenomenal year in every respect," says Pauline Hechler, Vice President for Development.

What she means is, even though more people than ever before are using the food bank, some 200,000 visitors, there's enough food to go around.

For a couple of reasons.

First of all, the U.S. Government has stepped up its donations, sending tons of cheese, chicken, pork and peanut butter to food banks all over the country.

For the first time in 16 years, the community food bank includes cheese in their emergency food boxes.

The government is also sending stimulus checks.

"We've been notified so far of $200,000 we will be receiving shortly," says Dan Walters, the Food Bank CFO.

That $200,000 is more like $2 million for the food bank. It takes every dollar and squeezes it to about $9. That will buy a lot of food for a lot of needy people.

"I work full time but it's a struggle to make ends meet right now," says Cory Labron, a first time client of the food bank. "It's come down to the point where I don't have food in the fridge or my cupboard. I needed to come where I can find food."

And secondly, the donations from private industry have never been so high. Stores like Basha's, Safeway and Wal- Mart have increased donations by more than 36%.

The produce warehouses in Nogales have donated tons of usually hard to get and expensive produce.

It's made all the difference.