The Sedona Community Food Bank is again hosting an annual visit by See’s Candy Wagon, which has been a tradition for nearly 20 years. The candy wagon is now parked at Bashas’ at 160 Coffee Pot Drive. The candy wagon is open from Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and from noon to 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, with all proceeds going to the food bank.

“It’s a trailer of wonderfulness, of chocolatey love. It is the one and only fundraiser that the Sedona Community Food Bank does,” Executive Director  Cathleen Healy-Baiza said. “It’s a replica of a See’s store … It’s painted white with a black stripe, and you go inside, and we have the black-and white check curtains and the floor [is] painted all white. We have 25 different kinds of candy.”

The candy wagon is open from now through Wednesday, Nov. 22, and again from Friday, Dec. 8, through Saturday, Dec. 23. The hours will remain the same.

“We don’t just carry one pound of dark and one pound of light,” Healy-Baiza said. “We have the soft centers, the nuts, the truffles. We have all the seasonal candy during Christmas, we’ll have chocolate Santas … What See’s Candies does is they don’t donate that candy, but they sell it to us at a  discounted price … and the difference is what we make for our fundraiser.” 

“If we didn’t do our See’s Candies sales, we would disappoint the community … I start getting phone calls at the end of October: ‘When are you going to get the candy wagon open?’” Healy-Baiza said.

In addition to the candy for sale, the Sedona Community Food Bank will also have note cards designed by its vice president, Patsy Brunner, available for purchase for $4.

“[Brunner] designs and makes those, then goes ahead and packages them and then all the cards that are sold there. She keeps track of them and then writes me a check, she donates everything,” Healy-Baiza said.

The candy wagon typically brings in $10,000 to $12,000 for the food bank during its season from Thanksgiving to Easter.

“The fundraising is critical because our donations remain down, they’re down by probably about 20% [while] our numbers have jumped,” Healy-Baiza said. “Last week we saw 192 families. We normally only see about 165 to 170 at this time of year. That’s why this fundraiser is imperative for us.”

Healy-Baiza attributed the increase to more large families of four to six members seeking help to address their food insecurity, which is a trend throughout the Verde Valley. Fellow nonprofit Manzanita Outreach has increased its food distribution by 33% since the start of the year.

Residents can also contribute to the Sedona Community Food Bank through its blue barrel program.

“We are three weeks out from the next Green Bag Collection and our shelves are looking bare,” the food bank posted on Facebook. “We are reaching out to all of you for help. You’ll find our blue food donation barrels at various locations throughout Sedona and the Village of Oak Creek. You can simply place your grocery bag of donated foods in those barrels and we’ll pick them up.”

The blue barrels can be found at several Sedona locations, including the Sedona Community Center at 2615 Melody Lane, Quicker Cleaner Car Wash at 1515 SR 89A, Sedona Recycles at 2280 Shelby Drive and Clark’s Market and Pharmacy at 100 Verde Valley School Road in the Village of Oak Creek.

Residents will also have the opportunity to contribute to the Sedona Community Food Bank by attending the free annual Thanksgiving community meal at the Coffee Pot Restaurant.

Donations to the food bank will be taken in place of payment for the meal, which takes place on the day before Thanksgiving, Wednesday, Nov. 22, from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Coffee Pot Restaurant located at 2050 W. SR 89.

For more information, visit sedonafoodbank.org