Last year, the Utah Food Bank distributed 2.9 million meals, or nearly 3.5 million pounds of food, to Washington County residents.
(Mark Eddington | Salt Lake Tribune) New Utah Food Bank pantry opening in June, photographed Wednesday, April 24, 2024.
hurricane • Utah Food Bank officials expect to double the number of households receiving food and other assistance in the eastern Washington County area when the new food pantry opens in June.
Currently, about 500 families gather at the cramped food pantry in Hurricane Valley each month to receive food and other necessities. But Utah Food Bank officials expect that number to rise to more than 1,000 people when the new $2 million-plus facility opens at 500 N. 600 W. Hurricane.
The Hurricane Valley Food Pantry is located in a dilapidated business park 450 and 800 meters northeast of Hurricane. The new food pantry that will replace it is just a few miles away, light years from the old facility, hidden behind abandoned cars, and about the size of two adjoining storage buildings. Unfortunately, the business hours are only about 10 hours a day. week.
Ginette Bott, president and CEO of the Utah Food Bank, told the Salt Lake Tribune: “There's no parking, the building is in disrepair, and people are having to weave through their cars to get to the pantry.” It's a little scary,” he said. . “The new building will be safe and clean, and elements of its dignity will be returned to recipients in need.”
The Utah Food Bank facility will also be open weekdays and one Saturday each month.
Bott and state Sen. Don Ipson, a member of the Utah Food Bank board, said food insecurity in Washington County is a bigger problem than many people realize. Last fiscal year, the Utah Food Bank distributed 2.9 million meals, or nearly 3.5 million pounds of food, to Washington County residents, they noted. They added that approximately 18,000 county residents face hunger every day.
“A lot of people who have never asked for help before will be able to get help very easily,” Bott said.
Ipson, R-St. George played a key role in securing $42 million in federal funding for the Utah Food Bank to expand its operations across the state. Much of that money was money from the federal American Rescue Plan Act, which was provided to provide relief during the coronavirus pandemic.
In addition to purchasing a new building for the Hurricane Pantry, the Utah Food Bank will use the funds to open two 4,000-square-foot food pantries on the Navajo Nation, in Montezuma Creek and Monument Valley. did. It also funded the opening of the nonprofit's 18,000-square-foot Southeastern Distribution Center in Blanding. The center includes an 1,800-square-foot food pantry where he plans to support others on the reservation.
The Utah Food Bank's Hurricane facility will total 9,200 square feet, with approximately 5,600 square feet of pantry and storage space and 3,600 square feet of office space. Food bank staff will be housed in offices on the second floor. The Five Counties Association, a coalition of governments comprised of Beaver, Garfield, Iron, Kane, and Washington counties, will have an office on the ground floor to provide additional services germane to food insecurity challenges. I'll rent it.
These services include the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program. Domestic violence counseling. Multiple housing assistance programs. Among others, the Home Energy Assistance Target (HEAT) program.
Bott said these additional services and the partnership with the Utah Food Bank and Five County Association are what set the Hurricane facility apart.
“This is our first pantry with the physical space to bring in additional services,” she said. “We want residents in that area of Washington County to be able to access these programs without having to go to St. George.”
Ipson has largely criticized all the federal money pumped into the state's economy during the pandemic, arguing that it fueled inflation and caused problems like food insecurity. Still, he believes the federal funds he helped secure for the Utah Food Bank expansion project were well spent.
“It's probably better run than any organization I've ever been involved with,” Ipson said, noting that 97 percent of every dollar nonprofits receive goes directly to helping those most in need. I pointed out that it would be. “can't believe it.”
Founded in 1904, the Utah Food Bank has emerged as the state's top nonprofit organization combating issues of hunger and food insecurity. In addition to its own facility, Bott said the organization provides food and other necessities to 275 pantries or partner agencies in all of his 29 counties in Utah. Last fiscal year, the Utah Food Bank distributed more than 60 million pounds of food, equivalent to approximately 50 million meals, to families and individuals across the state.
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