“It’s busy here,” were Sedona Community Food Bank Executive Director Cathleen Healy-Baiza’s first words upon walking into the food bank’s new location on the morning of Wednesday, Jan. 24. Her comment was hard to hear against a backdrop of clients making their food selections while the food bank was short three volunteers and a delivery was expected at any moment.

“Nationwide in 2023, seven in 10 lower- and middle-income parents were struggling to afford food ahead of this past Thanksgiving, according to recent polling from Parents Together Action,” SCFB said in its January newsletter.

“2023 also saw the end of the federal government’s pandemic-era food assistance in March, so this is the first holiday season in years without additional help to families in need. Sedona Community Food Bank’s numbers have been reflecting the same sort of experience for local working families, serving over 200 families on some weeks’ Wednesday distribution days, which is even higher than the worst month of 2020. Previously, April 2020’s average of 187 weekly families in need was seen as a high-water number for SCFB, but 2023 has broken that record.”

In 2023 the SCFB served 8,379 households or 12,369 people, an increase of 568 households and an increase of 731 people from 2022. The food bank distributed 257,609 pounds of food, an increase of 10,753 pounds from 2022.

However, while seeing an increased demand for its services, the food bank also has to cope with the same issue as many other local nonprofits: A decrease in the number of people volunteering.

The issue is less pronounced at the food bank than at some other nonprofits; the organization had 61 volunteers in 2023, a decrease of nine from 2022. However, those volunteers contributed 8,898 hours in 2023, which represents an increase of about 23% from 2022’s total volunteer hours.

“At times [the decrease] has [affected SCFB] because it’s sort of like the trickledown theory,” Healy-Baiza said. “If I don’t have someone in the kitchen, then I’m in the kitchen, and so for example, today, I’m three people short, hence the reason why I’m running from the front, and I’m going to our shed to get dog food, and then I’m in the kitchen and I’m pulling produce. So it does affect us. But on the other hand, COVID forced us to become more creative and run more efficiently.”

One way the food bank has been able to improve efficiency has been by allowing clients to pick their own food at the new location, which decreases the volunteers’ duties, as they previously spent a great deal of time packaging items. Another shift has been a slight decrease in the number of food boxes delivered to homebound clients. In 2023, the food bank delivered 244 boxes of food to that user group, a decrease of 44 from 2022. Healy-Baiza attributed the change to SCFB’s new location at 30 Inspirational Drive being more accessible to pedestrians and closer to the bus line, opening it up to some people who were previously homebound.

Fellow area nonprofit SedonaKind has also been sponsoring food boxes for SCFB’s homebound clients, member Jawn McKinley explained.

“The boxes include fresh meat and things that aren’t on the shelves at the [SCFB],” McKinley said. “The cost is $500 to sponsor a month … We’ve also included special cards in ‘our’ box made by the kids in the Wildcat program, and the clients seemed to really appreciate that. We’ll be having a project with our Kindness in Schools Committee this year to have the school kids at the Wildcat Club or in the classrooms create cards to include in this years’ box.” 

Healy-Baiza said that the food bank’s move to its new location went smoothly and has allowed SCFB to serve more residents. Additionally, while it spent $300,000 on renovations including mold removal and a new roof, the asphalt in the parking lot is in need of replacement within the year; the food bank does not have a timeline or cost estimate for that project.

They are also discussing adding solar panels to the building.

In November, Healy-Baiza said that donations were down about 20%. The food bank’s end-of-year financials will not be available until the end of the month. Financially, “right now I’m able to keep up with the demand,” Healy- Baiza said.

She also mentioned that inflation is affecting the variety of food donated.

“What we’re seeing in food donations is a decrease, and I’d say it’s probably between 10% and 15%,” Healy-Baiza said. “But also, we’ve lost that variety, but I understand why. When you go to a store, and you’re going to donate to [the] food bank, you have a canned vegetable, which might be 75 cents, and you have canned fruit, which is $1.50. What are you going to buy? So we’re seeing a lot of canned vegetables come. But we’re not seeing much organic. Not to complain, but we used to get a lot of organic donations … We’re seeing less donations. And what we’re seeing is a shift from all that variety to more basic, affordable items.”

The SCFB received a $5,000 grant last month during the Arizona Community Foundation of Sedona awards process to purchase items for distribution that are rarely donated, such as dairy products.

“Some of our holiday highlights are the food bank provided and delivered 50 senior gift bags; distributed 50 children’s books and afghans; distributed 135 coats at the Monday night supper and donated about 100 coats to [the Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley]; 14 families were adopted by local businesses, organizations and private citizens; 75 children received toys from either Toys for Tots and the Sedona Car Club; and 310 clients received $50 gift cards to [area grocery stores],” Healy-Baiza said.

To assist SCFB, the See’s Candy Wagon will be returning to Bashas’ at 160 Coffee Pot Drive from Friday, Feb. 2, through Wednesday, Feb. 14, and will be open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Sundays from noon to 3 p.m.

Federal Surveillance

On Wednesday, Jan. 24, the SCFB was used as a location for the 2024 Point in Time count in which the Department of Housing and Urban Development attempts to count all people experiencing homelessness on a single night in January. This count is a component of a larger national initiative to determine the amount of homelessness in the nation.

“They’re using it here because we have a target-rich environment, and because I know all the people,” Healy- Baiza said “And we have socks, so whatever we can to bring them to bring the person and to answer some of the questions.”

“We’re asking people where did you sleep on Jan. 23? And this is the same question that everybody in the country gets asked,” city of Sedona Housing coordinator Jeanne Frieder said. “ This event is going to take place today and hen tomorrow at St. John Vianney Catholic Church … Additionally, volunteers will be canvassing the area, Sedona throughout the Verde Valley all throughout Yavapai County, to talk to people who happen to be living outside, living rough in their cars or outside.”