PHOENIX—On Friday, Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ-03) and Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego toured the Phoenix Neighborhood Food Center, part of St. Mary’s Food Bank. St. Mary’s and its partners serve more than 10,000 families per day across Arizona.
The visit comes after federal cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a critical food safety net for families across the country. The changes may lead to 73,000 Arizona residents losing some or all of their SNAP benefits, which will place an increased burden on food banks and will threaten food security throughout the Valley.
Ansari and Gallego spoke with St. Mary’s volunteers to learn about the vital work they do to help ensure our community members can continue to put food on the table and help alleviate some financial pressure on households.
“Arizonans are already feeling the squeeze as rising costs and federal cuts make it harder to afford everyday essentials. In Congress, I am working every day to lower prices and ease the burden on families in our district,” said Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03). “I look forward to continuing to work alongside Mayor Gallego and partners like St. Mary’s to ensure that no family has to face hunger or unnecessary barriers to putting food on the table.”
“Regardless of the actions taken at the federal level, we will continue to do the critical work locally to ensure every Arizonan has access to food, and St. Mary’s is a great example of those efforts” Mayor Kate Gallego said. “Here in Phoenix, we look out for one another. And Congresswoman Ansari and I will continue to partner with local non-profits and community organizations to help mitigate the consequences of rising food costs and federal cuts to the SNAP program as much as possible.”
“Right now, too many Arizona families are stretched thin — facing the rising cost of food, housing, and electricity — and increasingly in need of a helping hand to get through the month,” said Milt Liu, St. Mary’s Food Bank President & CEO. “At St. Mary’s, our mission is to nourish Arizona’s families. We thank Congresswoman Ansari and Mayor Gallego for recognizing that mission has never been more urgent. Along with our government, corporate, and non-profit partners, we remain committed to ensuring that no one in our community goes hungry.”
Additional food assistance resources can be found HERE.
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