By Beth Fiorenza, NourishPHX Nourish Phoenix has a long history of serving the working poor in central southern Phoenix. Each year, NourishPHX serves more than 20,000 families by providing under-served populations in our communities with grocery boxes and clothing from our pantry, as well as educational courses and work resources in our classroom. In October, stakeholders, volunteers, and community members came together to discuss the successful efforts and new initiatives NourishPHX has implemented over the past year at our second annual Beyond the Pantry event. NourishPHX was able to stay open during the COVID-19 pandemic, and while it’s a great accomplishment, we need more support today than ever. The pandemic has had a significant impact on Arizona’s economy, particularly unemployment, and although employment rates continue to recover, many Arizonans still need help. The goal of the event was to raise $ 50,000 to support programs that benefit low-income families across the valley and help us continue to serve our communities during this time of need. To date, we’ve raised $ 100,000 in donations. Since opening in 1983, our goal has not only been to provide those in need with food, but also to provide them with nutrients: fresh produce, high-quality protein and the supplies to feed a family of four for up to five days. These are not grocery boxes with soup cans and top ramen. These are packs filled with fresh, nutritious ingredients to prepare a filling meal. Jeff Kraus, head chef on the Food Network, owner of the Crepe Bar in Tempe and friend of NourishPHX, demonstrated the abundance of pantry boxes from NourishPHX when he prepared a meal with only the ingredients in them. Kraus created nutritious and tasty Mexican cuisine that only used the supplies from the grocery box. He believes food has the power to bring people together and his love for his craft was shown in his demonstration. Almost 40% of the families we look after have children. It is important to feed these growing children nutritious meals so that they can grow during this period of rapid development and activity. We want to be there to support in every way the families who come to us and need our services. Now that volunteers can safely return to the pantry, we look forward to offering more courses and creating a larger pantry space. Going forward, we want to offer a shopping experience in our pantry that helps restore autonomy and dignity to the people we serve. We are volunteers. We are working mothers and fathers, teenagers and retirees, we are people who believe in caring for others in difficult times and helping in the face of poverty. The generosity of our supporters doesn’t go unnoticed, and we’re so grateful to have a community ready to help. Anyone interested in supporting the NourishPHX mission can search online for donation and volunteering opportunities. Learn more about NourishPHX and watch the Beyond the Pantry event livestream at: ernarusphx.org. Editor’s note: Beth Fiorenza is the executive director of NourishPHX, a US 501 (c) (3) public charity. Visit ernehrenphx.org.
[ad_2]
