PHOENIX — St. Vincent de Paul is asking Valley residents to donate food to help those in need this summer.
This is part of a local nonprofit’s “100 Days of Summer” campaign to help homeless people and families in need during the scorching summer heat.
Nonprofit spokeswoman Andrea Ariza Martinez said the campaign entered its second phase in July. Each phase focuses on a different basic need: SVDP in June focused on water, while the third phase in August will focus on shelter resources.
“A lot of people don’t realize that food is a real need during this time of year,” Martinez told KTAR News 92.3 FM. “Families are still struggling to make ends meet during this time when air conditioning bills start to go up.”
Not only are utility bills higher in the summer, families also have to spend more money on food because children aren’t eating school lunches, Martinez added.
Nonprofit’s ‘100 Days of Summer’ campaign needs food in July
The problem has been exacerbated by a decline in food donations, she said.
“Last year, in 2023, we started noticing that our food donation numbers were extremely low,” Martinez said.
The need for food is compounded by SVDP’s expanding services for homeless people: In May, the nonprofit held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the near completion of a 50,000-square-foot transitional housing facility that will provide Phoenix with about 200 new shelter beds.
Those who fill the beds need food, but Martinez worries that unless more people donate, the hungry won’t be fed.
“When you think about adding 171 beds, that’s going to increase food donations by 30 percent,” Martinez said. “If we don’t have enough food, we can’t send out tons of food boxes to those who need it most.”
Anyone wanting to donate food this July can do so online .
KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Balin Overstolz McNair contributed to this report.
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