PHX Reporter

Since 1986, the PV Community Food Bank has operated as an all-volunteer organization dedicated to providing balanced meals to individuals and families within the PVSchools boundaries who fall below the poverty line. The food bank has extended its support through various programs and initiatives.

The Need Assistance - Emergency Food Assist Program offers up to 12 food boxes annually for families with minor children and adults over 18 years old, while seniors can receive up to 17 boxes per year. In the last five years, the program has supported over 83,000 individuals with emergency food assistance.

To access these services, individuals must make an appointment by calling 602-867-9228. Proof of residency within PVSchools boundaries is required once a year for all adults in the household.

Community members can support the PV Community Food Bank through donations of non-perishable items, volunteering, or making monetary contributions that qualify for tax credits. The organization is hosting a turkey drive from November 4 to November 27 at their office on N. 32nd St., Phoenix.

The partnership between PV Community Food Bank and PVSchools includes programs like the School Nurse Program and Weekend Food4Kids Backpack Program. The latter was initiated in 2008 to provide weekend meals for students attending Title I schools. Since then, more than 200,000 individual weekend food bags have been assembled for over 4,000 students.

The School Nurse Program supplies juice and crackers to school nurses at 42 PV schools twice a year. "In 2015, the food bank became aware that school nurses were most times purchasing, with their own money, the juice and crackers that were needed... Today, 42 PV schools have their supply of juice and crackers delivered to them twice a year by volunteers from the food bank," said Kay Norris, executive director of PV Community Food Bank.

Student councils also contribute through school food drives that have donated over 160,000 pounds of non-perishable items since 2014.