PHOENIX — As workers face an uncertain future during the COVID-19 quarantine, food banks across the nation plan to face unprecedented demand.
Foothills Food Bank, a nonprofit that serves Cave Creek and Black Canyon City, has been doing its best to keep up with that demand.
"Well, it’s been different,” commented Pam Dipietro, Executive Director of Foothills Food Bank.
The pandemic has left food banks with the challenge of maintaining social distance while serving those most at need.
“We are trying to avoid that contact between people,” Dipietro said. “We’re trying to avoid that contact as much as we can. They drive up, they load up their car and they drive away, so it’s just that simple.”
But one thing that is not so simple is keeping their shelves stocked. It’s one thing to meet the demand during normal times, but when the food and supplies aren’t there to buy, it puts Foothill’s mission in jeopardy.
Pam lets out a little nervous laugh when asked what items they need the most. “Dear God, we have no paper towels, we have no toilet paper,” she said. “I could use bleach, I could use water; we’re trying to give the client water as much as we have. We did run out last week, but we put the word out and people are coming in with water for us.”
Dipietro is grateful to the Cave Creek community for stepping up during the past few weeks to keep the bare essentials on her shelves but expects the demand to only increase over the next few weeks.
WHAT FOOTHILLS FOOD BANK NEEDS MOST:
- Water
- Soups of all kinds
- Pasta Sauce
- Paper Towels
- Laundry soaps (dry, so it can be broken down)
- Bagged Rice (1 lb size)
- Pasta, Potato, Rice sides
CLEANING SUPPLIES FOR FOOD BANK OPERATION
- Bleach
- Gloves
- Masks
- Lysol wipes
- Disinfectant
- Hand Sanitizer
Normally, food banks such as Foothills Food Bank rely on buying power to make every dollar stretch, but with the lack of available items on the shelves, they are looking for the public to bring in items they can give out to those in need.
