Hunger is one of the greatest threats to our community and we can help more people when we work together. Every year during National Library Week, Phoenix Public Library has sponsored a food drive in partnership with St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance. A partnership between Phoenix Public Library and St. Mary’s Foodbank Alliance is a natural alliance as we both have a vested interest in no member of our community going to bed hungry.
In our previous “normal” Phoenix Public Library locations would both provide a daily nutritious meal to children as part of our year-round Kids’ Café partnership with St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance; and our annual “Food for Fines” food drive. With Phoenix Public Library’s adoption of “All Fines Forgiven” and becoming a fine free library system in November, 2019 we knew that going forward we would continue to support St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance food collections in a different way and planned for a “Fill the Shelves” Phoenix Public Library food drive.
This year, with the Coronavirus pandemic, the need is greater than ever. Children are out of school and cut off from supplemental feeding programs, people are being laid off from their jobs, and our most vulnerable community members are in need food assistance.
Even with Phoenix Public Library’s temporary closure, in which we are unable to accept food donations at our libraries, we want to continue to honor our “National Library Week” tradition and support St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance and those that rely upon them for their meals. So we are trying something different with our Fill the Shelves “virtual” food drive this year and asking our library supporters to help St. Mary’s Foodbank Alliance by making an online donation as part of our observance of National Library Week, April 19-25, 2020.
Together we can ease hunger in the Valley. Please consider visiting the St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance website and making a donation.
