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Our Results: Ending Hunger

Meeting a Growing Demand

To help meet the growing need, last year Valley of the Sun United Way-supported agencies provided 98,000 meals in community kitchen settings, 142,000 home-delivered meals and over 61 million pounds of food to area food banks and food pantries. While the images of emergency food assistance are perhaps the most visible to Valley residents, many programs provide meals as part of a broader service offering. These include after-school programs, emergency shelter settings, community kitchens and home-delivered meals to the Valley’s disabled and elderly, who rely on food assistance because they are homebound. Many pantries also offer “food clubs” that allow people to shop for food at a discounted rate, while area food kitchens help families extend budgets and enhance nutrition.

The economic climate has resulted in an unprecedented demand on Valley of the Sun United Way partners providing food to individuals in all of the settings cited above. As the state’s unemployment rate increased, Valley families turned to community-supported afterschool programs to help offset personal expenses associated with private daycare. Forced to make difficult financial decisions, some hungry families rely on the meals provided through broad service offerings such as after-school programs to help feed their children.

You can help us meet this increased demand – and keep Arizona’s families from experiencing hunger. See how your donation can help feed families in need.