We’re celebrating Cornell Cares, our annual day of community service, on the penultimate day of 2017! Consider this your final opportunity to get in one last good deed before the year is complete. We’ll join Stanford’s alumni organization in their 12th annual Phoenix Ivy Council effort to support St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance, the world’s first food bank, on December 30, 2017, from 8:00 to 11 a.m.-ish.

As a member of Feeding America, which is a network of more than 200 member food banks, St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance distributed almost 66 million pounds of food in fiscal year 2014-2015 to families and individuals. This non-sectarian, nonprofit organization alleviates hunger by efficiently gathering and distributing food to the hungry. Serving two-thirds of Arizona’s 15 counties, St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance is committed to volunteerism, building community relationships, and improving the quality of life for Arizonans in need.

Arizona’s hunger rates are higher than national averages: 17.8% of Arizonans are food insecure, compared to 15.9% nationally, and 28.2% of Arizonan children face hunger, compared to 21.6% nationally. Arizona ranks third in the country for high child food insecurity rates, behind only New Mexico and Mississippi, with 456,760 children facing hunger on a daily basis.

We Cornellians will team up with alumni from other Ivy League schools and may help by sorting donated food, building boxes and creating bags from mesh nets, or compiling boxes of assorted foods that will feed our hungry neighbors. Last year our group packed 2,880 emergency food boxes which contained 31,680 pounds of non-perishables!

Volunteers should wear comfortable footwear. Closed-toed shoes are required; sandals are not allowed. Please wear appropriate jeans, tee shirts (no spaghetti straps or tank tops), or other work clothes you don’t mind getting a bit dirty. We encourage you to wear something to demonstrate your loyalty to Cornell, like a logo sweatshirt or ball cap! Family members, friends, and children ages 12 and older are welcome to participate with a parent, guardian, or chaperone. Community service verification is available.

Do you have a question for St. Mary’s? Contact them at volunteer.services@firstfoodbank.org or call (602) 242-FOOD (3663).

If you’d like to reserve a spot as a volunteer this year, please send your name, college affiliation(s), and names of your guests to Tracy Jaffe of the Phoenix Stanford Chapter: tracyjaffe@stanfordalumni.org

Volunteer space is limited to 140. Note that pre-registration is required; walk-ins will not be permitted on the day of the event. There is no fee to participate in this program.

New volunteers will need to complete a release form online before pitching in to help. Tracy will send you the link as she confirms your registration.

St. Mary’s Food Bank greatly appreciates donations. Every $1 gift provides food enough for 7 meals. You are welcome to bring a cash/check donation with you or contribute online. Donation receipts will be available at the food bank and may qualify as a 100% tax credit for the working poor on your Arizona tax return. (Check website for more info.)

Please bring some dry goods with you to donate! Pantry staples and non-perishable foods are always appreciated but please note that St. Mary’s cannot accept baby food in glass jars.

St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance
DEL E. WEBB CENTER | MAIN WAREHOUSE LOCATION
2831 N. 31st Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85009
602-352-3640 (food bank)

Thank you for your support of our community!