PHOENIX — St. Mary's Food Bank is co-hosting a food drive and says your donations are needed now more than ever.
Jerry Brown, director of public relations with St. Mary's Food Bank, said, “We have lost millions of pounds of food drive food this year.”
This because major gatherings where a lot of food is stored -- like sporting events, concerts and fairs -- just aren’t happening the way they once were. That means less leftover food that can be donated. Meanwhile, demand is rising again.
“We we’re seeing 1,500 families a day across the street at our main location," Brown said. "That dipped down some, but now we are seeing an uptick. I’m not sure if that’s people that are losing benefits; or people that are still losing jobs; or they're running out of savings. ”
To help St. Mary’s has teamed up with Macerich, the company that owns Scottsdale Fashion Square and other shopping centers.
Rachel Olish, events and communications manager for Scottsdale Fashion Square, said, "This weekend we are hosting a food drive from 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at eight of our Valley centers. Your favorite shopping malls. And we are just looking for people to come donate and help out.”
The locations are: Arrowhead Towne Center, Biltmore Fashion Park, Chandler Fashion Center, Desert Sky Mall, Kierland Commons, Paradise Valley Mall, Santan Village, Scottsdale Fashion Square and Superstitions Spring Center.
The items most needed are jars of peanut butter and other canned proteins as well as canned vegetables.
