From the Sahuarita Food Bank & Community Resource Center (SFB-CRC):

After six years of dreaming, planning, and fundraising, SFB-CRC has already taken that first big step into the new facility under a temporary certificate of occupancy. Pantries have been stocked and food items are collected from six grocery stores. We are also providing utility assistance, SNAP sign-up, and assistance in avoiding eviction. 300 households have been served in the first week of January and up to 400 backpacks were distributed.

It’s been a challenging but extremely gratifying and rewarding journey and every day that passes moves us closer to finalizing our goal of becoming a major community resource for struggling families and individuals in our beloved community.

The dream began in 2015 when SFB-CRC decided to take the plunge to plan a multi-agency service, a one-stop hub for helping those in need. After voters defeated county proposals for funding, we remained steadfast and began our own fundraising efforts with La Posada on board as our first large donor. Thanks to the generosity of countless individuals, businesses, and other organizations, we were able in 2019 to engage Poster Mirto McDonald as the architect and MW Morrissey and AIS as contractors. Based on the tremendous growth of families in need of our help, SFB-CRC expanded the footprint from 8,000 to 14,300 square feet, with designs finalized in the fall of 2020. Even though building costs nearly doubled to $4.7 million due to the pandemic and other factors, we continued to call on the community’s help and they continue to support us.