Food bank continues its mission with the help of grant funding; asking for volunteers to pitch in
While the COVID-19 pandemic brought many families face-to-face with food insecurity – some for the very first time – the Yuma Community Food Bank (YCFB) hasn’t wavered in executing its mission to “be there every step of the way” for individuals and families in need.
Now as the recent recipient of $7,500 in grant funding from CEMEX Foundation, the philanthropic arm of CEMEX USA, Yuma families can continue relying on YCFB for the procurement of essential resources.
“COVID-19 has claimed lives, cost jobs, strained families and deeply affected our communities,” said David Nabavi, CEMEX USA regional president for Arizona. “CEMEX strives to be a good neighbor in the communities where we live and operate, and as a result of this pandemic, more and more of our neighbors need support. We are proud to be able to present these grants from the CEMEX Foundation to help give critical funding to nonprofit organizations that do so much for our communities.”
According to YCFB President and Chief Executive Officer Shara Whitehead, the funding is “definitely helpful” in purchasing food items and the necessary supplies to distribute them to families during a time of need.
“It’s a new normal, and we try to be nimble and flex where we need to (in order) to be able to distribute the food,” said Whitehead. “We have a lot of families right now that are still unemployed and now with the stimulus funding changing a little bit, we may see a few more people that are in the unemployment line for a variety of reasons. But the point with the food bank is we’re always here for whatever your emergency is, and the CEMEX funding is definitely going to make that process much easier and we appreciate that.”
Located at 2404 E. 24th St., YCFB typically serves about 300 to 400 families each weekday. Those numbers nearly doubled when unemployment spiked in April and May, according to Whitehead – a record the food bank hadn’t seen since 2014.
“We saw a huge spike in unemployment numbers as high as 24% back in 2014, and I can’t even tell you what the numbers looked like in Yuma during the pandemic but we know we were serving over 40% more people during that time,” Whitehead said. “Because we’re a rural community, we’re impacted much differently than some of the major metropolitan areas.”
While those numbers have “ebbed and flowed” more recently as some individuals have returned to work, Whitehead said the food bank is still there to serve, with the hope that those who’ve reached self-reliance remember what it was like to walk in the same shoes as a person in need and “pay it forward.”
“It’s still a deep concern for us because above all, we want to get people the food that they need so that when those jobs become available, maybe they can give that back and pay it forward,” she said.
HELP WANTED According to Whitehead, grant funding is only one side of the coin.
“It all is possible because of grant funding and volunteerism within the community,” she said. “Yuma has always been one of those highly involved communities that, if there’s a need out there, it doesn’t take much to rally people. Even through the pandemic it was pretty amazing, the number of individuals that kept coming to the food bank and not knowing what it was going to look like. It didn’t matter, they knew that there was a need and they came.”
While the $7,500 grant will help YCFB stock its warehouse with essential food items, more volunteers are needed to get these into the hands of families who need them.
According to Whitehead, YCFB learned recently that the National Guard would no longer be available to volunteer at the food bank, despite the recent verdict that state funds would extend the National Guard’s coronavirus relief efforts in Arizona.
“We’re going to be 20 people short each day to meet the needs of those coming to the food bank,” said Whitehead. “So I would ask that those who are coming would please be patient; we’re doing our best to be able to help you get food.”
Community members interested in volunteering may download an application at https://www.yumafoodbank.org/get-involved. html or contact the food bank’s volunteer coordinator Fannie Osborn at (928) 259-2216.
“plenty warehouse Whitehead of space” to maintain said inside there’s the the recommended 6-foot social distance. Face masks are required of everyone entering the warehouse, and as a precautionary measure, volunteers’ temperatures are taken upon arrival.
“We glove, we mask and we social distance,” Whitehead said. “You can even come for as short as an hour and work. Or if you really wanted to stay the whole day, you could definitely do that. Whatever time you think you can give to us, we would be grateful to have your support.”