Since 1983, United Food Bank has been dedicated to uniting communities to alleviate hunger and provide nutritious meals to neighbors experiencing food insecurity in Arizona and December 2023 marked its 40th anniversary.
As a reminder of its growth and impact over the past four decades, United Food Bank debuted a new logo to represent this special milestone. Additionally, the nonprofit hosted a Friends Breakfast for its corporate partners, board of directors and volunteers, the first such event since the pandemic, which raised more than $40,000. United Food Bank celebrated its 40th anniversary on Dec. 15 at an employee appreciation party at its volunteer center in Mesa.
For the past six years, United Food Bank has teamed up with 12News to host its annual Summer of a Million Meals fundraiser campaign. This year’s campaign ran from May 29 to Sept. 4 and raised 2,353,000 meals for families in need of help putting food on their tables. In honor of its 40th anniversary, United Food Bank developed a special appreciation award to its corporate partners and donors who have supported over a million meals in their lifetime of giving.
“On behalf of United Food Bank, we are honored to be celebrating 40 years as an organization,” said Jason Reed, CEO and president of United Food Bank. “This could not be possible without everyone over the years who has supported United Food Bank. I want to thank our founders, staff, volunteers, donors and community partners who have contributed towards making food banking the life-saving force it is today.”
United Food Bank initially began operations under the name United Food Distribution Center, Inc., and was a nonprofit joint venture among Easy Valley cities. The goal was to form a united way to gather and distribute food to organizations that were helping feed those in need.
After just two years in business, its service area expanded to include Gila, Pinal and southern Apache and Navajo counties in addition to its original East Valley cities. The food bank has grown to meet the increased need from people in its service area, which consists of 19,608 square miles including some of the most remote areas in the state.
In its first year, the food bank assisted 28 different community partners. Now, United Food Bank serves over 150 partners, operating food pantries, meal sites and after-school youth meal programs. United Food Bank has had partnerships with organizations such as Mesa Senior Center, Apache Junction Food Bank and the Chandler Christian Community Center since its early years.
Over 21.6 million pounds of food equating to 49,000 meals are distributed per day each year by United Food Bank. The need for food has grown tremendously over the past 40 years, and in response, United Food Bank has scaled its services and outreach to meet an ever-growing demand and serve the Arizona community.
To learn more about United Food Bank, its upcoming events and fundraisers, as well as to make a monetary donation, visit unitedfoodbank.
