We will periodically be posting updates below to support you in finding resources for you and your family.
SUPPORTING FOOD BANKS
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SCHOOL MEALS DURING SCHOOL CLOSURES
Click here for a map of feeding sites!
Parents and caregivers may also text FOOD, or COMIDA, to 877-877 to find the nearest sites.
All Arizona schools are closed through the end of the 2019-2020 school year, per Governor Doug Ducey and State Superintendent Kathy Hoffman. Please visit the Arizona Department of Education’s COVID-19 wepbage for more details and click on “School Meals” tab for an up-to-date list of school districts and other sites offering meals during school closures.
Pandemic EBT
Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) provides assistance to households with children who are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals, while schools are out of session due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Arizona P-EBT Pandemic School Meal Replacement Benefits program is a partnership between DES, the Arizona Department of Education, and the USDA Food and Nutrition Service. Learn more about Pandemic EBT in Arizona: Pandemic EBT (English) or EBT por la pandemia (espanol)
Emergency Meals-to-You! Getting school meals to rural students
In partnership with the USDA and state agencies, the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty has implemented the Emergency Meals-to-You program to provide shelf-stable, easily prepared, kid-friendly meals to students in rural school districts during unexpected school closures lasting four weeks or longer.
Guidance to Schools on COVID-19
Other Resources
Food Banks: Best Practices During the COVID-19 Public Health Crisis
GUIDANCE FOR FOOD BANKS & OTHER EMERGENCY FOOD PROVIDERS
Here are some of the ways our partner agencies are continuing to distribute emergency food assistance while working to prevent the spread of COVID-19:
United Food Bank: 358 E. Javelina Avenue, Mesa, AZ, 85210
United Food Bank is taking all reasonable measures we can to limit the risk of coronavirus at our volunteer facilities. Without the support and dedication of our volunteers to deliver mor
United Food Bank COVID-19 Update
Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona: 3003 S. Country Club Road, Tucson, AZ 85713
What is the Community Food Bank doing?
• Our doors are staying open. We are switching our food distributions to a drive-through model to limit person-to-person contact.
• In accordance with CDC recommendations, we are canceling large events and gatherings.
• We are taking extra measures to keep our staff and volunteers healthy. We have encouraged many staff to work from home, and provided extra sanitation and hand-washing stations where possible.
What can you do to help?
• Please stay home if you’re sick. We all need to help protect members of our community who are most vulnerable to illness.
• If you are healthy and able, please help by volunteering to pack emergency food boxes. We URGENTLY need volunteers to keep our operations running. Email [email protected] to get started.
• If you’ve traveled to areas affected by the coronavirus, or have been in contact with sick individuals, please do not sign up for volunteer shifts.
• Donate today. As schools shut down and the economy is affected, we expect a higher than usual need for emergency food. You can help us keep our doors open.
ICM Food & Clothing Bank: 501 S. 9th Avenue, Phoenix, AZ, 85007
Beginning on Friday, March 13, ICM’s plan will be as follows:
• Stay open Monday-Friday from 9-11 AM to distribute food pantry boxes only. Food boxes will be distributed outside the building.
• Clothing Room will be closed until further notice.
• SNAP and SNAP to Work Programs will take clients by appointment only.
• All staff who can work from home can do so starting at 12PM.
• All non-essential tours and classes will be cancelled for the month of March and April.
• All meetings will be held virtually.
Tempe Community Action Agency: 2146 E. Apache Blvd., Tempe, AZ. 85281
Our first concern is the health and safety of our employees, volunteers, clients, and their household members within our community. We are working with our partners to address concerns daily and are closely monitoring information from the CDC, state and county sources to help ensure the actions we are taking are in line with the latest recommendations. Currently, we are taking the following steps:
• Increasing our cleaning and sanitizing of high-traffic, shared, and common areas at our sites
• Distributing information on illness prevention measures to employees, volunteers, and clients
• Encouraging employees and volunteers to stay home when ill, when aiding a household member who is ill, or after traveling to affected areas
• Asking staff and volunteers to adhere to social distancing service guidelines
• Seeking additional ways to expand food distribution to people in need through our food pantry, senior home-delivered meals program and congregate meals and food box deliveries to Tempe schools
• Working with our I-HELP Shelter partners to continue providing shelter to men and women experiencing homelessness
• Shifting to phone-based case management to continue to assist adults and families enrolled in our Health Start Program, Neighbors Helping Neighbors, and Financial Opportunity Center
• Continuing to provide emergency rent/mortgage and utility assistance, particularly for people who experience reduced work hours, health crises, or job loss (link to application)
Volunteers play an important role in our work. We are evaluating what changes we need to make in our Volunteer Program as more directives are made at the federal, state and local level. We are also monitoring volunteer involvement and may be in need of additional volunteers in the very near future. On any given day, we rely on an average of 20 volunteers to ensure food and shelter services are offered.
- Please visit our directory to find a local food bank or pantry. We encourage you contact the organization prior to arriving to ensure hours of operation.
- Use this map to locate a DES Hunger Relief Program near you.
- Visit or call 2-1-1 Arizona, or ArizonaTogether.org for a variety of resources available across the state.
- Information about Unemployment Insurance in Arizona
- Resources for Immigrants and their Families during Covid-19
- Take advantage of unlimited double up food bucks at participating farmers markets!
- Basic Needs and Community Resources within Maricopa Community Colleges
- For informaiton on Meals on Wheels and Food Box delivery go to the Area Agency on Aging.
SUPPORTING FOOD BANKS
***********************************************
SCHOOL MEALS DURING SCHOOL CLOSURES
Click here for a map of feeding sites!
Parents and caregivers may also text FOOD, or COMIDA, to 877-877 to find the nearest sites.
All Arizona schools are closed through the end of the 2019-2020 school year, per Governor Doug Ducey and State Superintendent Kathy Hoffman. Please visit the Arizona Department of Education’s COVID-19 wepbage for more details and click on “School Meals” tab for an up-to-date list of school districts and other sites offering meals during school closures.
Pandemic EBT
Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) provides assistance to households with children who are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals, while schools are out of session due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Arizona P-EBT Pandemic School Meal Replacement Benefits program is a partnership between DES, the Arizona Department of Education, and the USDA Food and Nutrition Service. Learn more about Pandemic EBT in Arizona: Pandemic EBT (English) or EBT por la pandemia (espanol)
Emergency Meals-to-You! Getting school meals to rural students
In partnership with the USDA and state agencies, the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty has implemented the Emergency Meals-to-You program to provide shelf-stable, easily prepared, kid-friendly meals to students in rural school districts during unexpected school closures lasting four weeks or longer.
- Interested in applying? Review these FAQs and the Emergency Meals-to-You fact sheet for details on the application process.
- Questions? Contact Alexander Meyer at [email protected].
Guidance to Schools on COVID-19
- Arizona’s Department of Education (ADE) is working with schools that intend to continue their meal service programs for children during the time schools are closed due to COVID-19.
- Schools that continue to operate meal programs during the COVID-19 shutdowns have the flexibility to provide meals to be taken and consumed offsite, to allow for the recommended social distancing precautionary measures, per the USDA Food & Nutrition Service (FNS) waiver (March 14, 2020).
- Non-school sponsors of the Summer Food Service Program that are approved and in good standing also have the flexibility listed above: to provide meals to be taken and consumed offsite.
- School nutrition departments and/or food service staff have the flexibility to prepare meals on school sites for non-congregate consumption during the COVID-19 school closures, per the USDA FNS waiver provided to ADE on March 14, 2020.
- Schools must be “area eligible” to provide meals. Schools must also make a public announcement regarding their food service plans.
Other Resources
- ArizonaTogether.org: Are you a nonprofit organization responding to the COVID-19 emergency in your community, looking for additional resources to support your efforts? An individual in need of assistance? A group looking for volunteer opportunities? Visit ArizonaTogether.org for a variety of resources available across the state. #ArizonaTogether
- Domestic & Sexual Violence Services Helpline: Are you experiencing sexual or domestic violence? Get help now! Call the helpline at 602-279-2980 or 1-800-782-6400 for support, information, referrals, and assistance navigating the legal system. You can also connect online through the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual & Domestic Violence (ACESDV) website chat feature.
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Food Banks: Best Practices During the COVID-19 Public Health Crisis
GUIDANCE FOR FOOD BANKS & OTHER EMERGENCY FOOD PROVIDERS
Here are some of the ways our partner agencies are continuing to distribute emergency food assistance while working to prevent the spread of COVID-19:
United Food Bank: 358 E. Javelina Avenue, Mesa, AZ, 85210
United Food Bank is taking all reasonable measures we can to limit the risk of coronavirus at our volunteer facilities. Without the support and dedication of our volunteers to deliver mor
e than 86,860 pounds of food each week to our 220+ member agencies, we cannot effectively sort food, build emergency food boxes, or operate our weekly Help Yourself Food Co-op on Fridays.
To that end, we want to assure volunteers that we are increasing our cleaning protocols and following all recommendations from the World Health Organziation, US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Arizona Department of Health Services, Maricopa County Department of Public Health, and the City of Mesa.
For more information about changes to our weekly Help Yourself Food Co-op that will get clients in and out with a minimum of contact, see our
To that end, we want to assure volunteers that we are increasing our cleaning protocols and following all recommendations from the World Health Organziation, US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Arizona Department of Health Services, Maricopa County Department of Public Health, and the City of Mesa.
For more information about changes to our weekly Help Yourself Food Co-op that will get clients in and out with a minimum of contact, see our
United Food Bank COVID-19 Update
Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona: 3003 S. Country Club Road, Tucson, AZ 85713
What is the Community Food Bank doing?
• Our doors are staying open. We are switching our food distributions to a drive-through model to limit person-to-person contact.
• In accordance with CDC recommendations, we are canceling large events and gatherings.
• We are taking extra measures to keep our staff and volunteers healthy. We have encouraged many staff to work from home, and provided extra sanitation and hand-washing stations where possible.
What can you do to help?
• Please stay home if you’re sick. We all need to help protect members of our community who are most vulnerable to illness.
• If you are healthy and able, please help by volunteering to pack emergency food boxes. We URGENTLY need volunteers to keep our operations running. Email [email protected] to get started.
• If you’ve traveled to areas affected by the coronavirus, or have been in contact with sick individuals, please do not sign up for volunteer shifts.
• Donate today. As schools shut down and the economy is affected, we expect a higher than usual need for emergency food. You can help us keep our doors open.
ICM Food & Clothing Bank: 501 S. 9th Avenue, Phoenix, AZ, 85007
Beginning on Friday, March 13, ICM’s plan will be as follows:
• Stay open Monday-Friday from 9-11 AM to distribute food pantry boxes only. Food boxes will be distributed outside the building.
• Clothing Room will be closed until further notice.
• SNAP and SNAP to Work Programs will take clients by appointment only.
• All staff who can work from home can do so starting at 12PM.
• All non-essential tours and classes will be cancelled for the month of March and April.
• All meetings will be held virtually.
Tempe Community Action Agency: 2146 E. Apache Blvd., Tempe, AZ. 85281
Our first concern is the health and safety of our employees, volunteers, clients, and their household members within our community. We are working with our partners to address concerns daily and are closely monitoring information from the CDC, state and county sources to help ensure the actions we are taking are in line with the latest recommendations. Currently, we are taking the following steps:
• Increasing our cleaning and sanitizing of high-traffic, shared, and common areas at our sites
• Distributing information on illness prevention measures to employees, volunteers, and clients
• Encouraging employees and volunteers to stay home when ill, when aiding a household member who is ill, or after traveling to affected areas
• Asking staff and volunteers to adhere to social distancing service guidelines
• Seeking additional ways to expand food distribution to people in need through our food pantry, senior home-delivered meals program and congregate meals and food box deliveries to Tempe schools
• Working with our I-HELP Shelter partners to continue providing shelter to men and women experiencing homelessness
• Shifting to phone-based case management to continue to assist adults and families enrolled in our Health Start Program, Neighbors Helping Neighbors, and Financial Opportunity Center
• Continuing to provide emergency rent/mortgage and utility assistance, particularly for people who experience reduced work hours, health crises, or job loss (link to application)
Volunteers play an important role in our work. We are evaluating what changes we need to make in our Volunteer Program as more directives are made at the federal, state and local level. We are also monitoring volunteer involvement and may be in need of additional volunteers in the very near future. On any given day, we rely on an average of 20 volunteers to ensure food and shelter services are offered.
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