Community Food Drive In Cochise County: How To Help

16.3 percent of Cochise County is below the poverty line. That is over 20,000 people in our community who do not have enough money for food, clothes, and other resources. A good portion of this population is veterans or single parents struggling to make ends meet. With rising needs for food and necessities, over 18 food pantries in Cochise County are coming together to collect food donations to support our community! Here is everything you need to know about how you can help!

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March 14-20th!

Food is important for people to have access to as it promotes hope, focus, and energy. Without it, people struggle to go about their days. A lack of food makes it hard for people to perform well at school and work. From March 14th to the 20th, 18 food pantries in Cochise County will be setting up boxes for you to donate!

If you see a food box in front of a grocery store, police, or fire department, don't hesitate to provide what you can! You can find a list of every drop-off location on this website. The website is updated regularly, and if you are a business who wants a box at your location, contact Wendee Grinde at CochiseFoodNet@peachspantry.org. or call her at 520-249-0139 Almost every city in Cochise County is coming together to support our community, and you can help too!

What's so special about this?

Nancy from the community food pantry of Benson said at a meeting on Thursday,

Any time is a good time for a food drive, but particularly now. Now is the best time for a food drive.

With holiday season over, a lot of families need food now more than ever. With so many people in our community needing help, it is important for us to get out there and do our part.

Everyone knows that there is a need, but for us to actually come together and collaborate is such a blessing." said Ramona McCaa with the Sierra Vista Dream Center. "People are living paycheck to paycheck. I know some people who are making $6 over the minimum to apply or to get food stamps or SNAP.

There are a lot of people who are single parents and grandparents who don't meet the qualifications for SNAP or food stamps, and it is important now more than ever that the community comes together to make sure these people have the support they need.

It's community helping community." explained Wendee, the coordinating director of the Cochise County Food Network. "This is our community. We need to protect our neighbors, so come on out and give us a hand!

I also talked to Mary, a volunteer at the Salvation Army who educated me on just how many veteran families they support.

We provide food boxes for 23 veteran families every month that come through our food distribution that we host here.

These aren't the only people involved, St. Vincent de Paul, peaches pantry, wounded warriors, and a variety of food pantries and social programs across Cochise County are involved as well. A full list of all the organizations involved is available here.

This is also a friendly competition between cities and local police and fire departments. If you want your area or department to win, make sure to donate at any of the places with designated with drop off boxes!

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How else can you help?

If you end up missing the donation period for the food drive, but would still like to help, food pantries are always looking for donations. You can donate money to help them provide needed food, or you can drop off food at whatever food pantry is closest to you.

These organizations provide food for thousands of families in Cochise County, and it is important to have volunteers and donations to ensure their mission stays possible. If you can't donate, but want to volunteer, the more people there to help out the faster the food gets to those who need it!

Photo by Calle Macarone on Unsplash

Do not miss out on being a part of this food drive. Donate anytime between March14-20th! And if you can't, volunteers are always needed, and drop-offs are always welcome.