If you want to whet your appetite for service, Interfaith Community Services has a simple vehicle: Make an in-kind or cash donation during the 9/11 National Day of Service & Remembrance Food Drive.
The food drive will take place from 9 a.m to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 11, at all three ICS Food Bank locations: The Northwest Food Bank, 2820 W. Ina Road; the Eastside Food Drop-off, 8701 E. Old Spanish Trail; and the Central Office, 122 N. Craycroft Road.
A collaborative effort with AmeriCorps, the event seeks to harness the nationwide spirit of support that followed the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
The goal is to transform goodwill into goods that will impact the food crisis in Southern Arizona, according to Jennifer Humphries, Communications Manager for ICS.
Last year, the event collected more than 11,000 pounds of food.
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“We have many church organizations and community partners who want to participate in service on and around this day to remember and honor those lost on Sept. 11,” Humphries said. Truthfully, any donation matters with the cost of food now. Every household can benefit from a jar of peanut butter or can of tuna fish. It is not just about numbers: These are people.”
She emphasized that ICS food banks have seen a significant increase in demand over this time last year, with many first-time clients utilizing services due to rising food costs that have stretched family budgets.
“I read recently that the U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey (Oct. 2023) found that 28 million adults nationwide live in homes that experienced hunger in the last week,” Humphries said. “This is the highest that figure has been since the first year of the COVID pandemic. That same survey found that food insecurity is in every single county in America, so it is everywhere.”
