Food and water are necessities for survival. However, so are the resources people take for granted every day that provide for shelter, paid bills and access to healthcare for individuals and families.
These are the resources that fulfill the name of the highly successful food bank, Foothills Food Bank & Resource Center.
According to Robin Kilbane, resource and education coordinator, Foothills Food Bank & Resource Center is one of the only food banks in Maricopa County to offer myriad life services to its clients. The types of resources include nearly all needs other than food to help people get back on their feet.
The “resources” the busy food bank provides include:
• Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP): the food bank works with clients in applying for food stamps and can facilitate a place to conduct their interviews with Department of Economic Security (DES), at its main location in Cave Creek
• Arizona Health Care Containment System (AHCCCS): Kilbane helps clients apply for healthcare coverage for individuals and/or family members
• Job listings: Foothills Food Bank provides clients with listing of jobs available in the massive area it serves. This resource is extremely helpful for people who have lost their jobs or are making less income after a life change. The resource coordinator also can help with resumes, if needed.
• Financial assistance: Foothills Food Bank works with its clients who need help with a rent payment or a utility bill
• Vouchers: thrift store, pharmacy and gas vouchers are provided for clients who need extra assistance
• Project ID: clients can receive help obtaining missing identification documents
Foothills Food Bank & Resource Center partners with numerous non-profit and community organizations to share and enhance resources to better serve the growing number of people in need. Those resources include Neighbors in Need, NAAAP, St. Vincent de Paul, churches, DES, Foothills Caring Corps, Desert Foothills YMCA, the Salvation Army, Cave Creek Unified School District, local thrift stores, gas stations, pharmacies and others.
“We constantly work to find the right resources to help our clients through difficult times,” says Kilbane.
Kilbane says other community-specific resources the food bank is working to garner include transportation to help clients go to interviews or jobs as currently, there is no metro bus service that serves the area.
For more information, call the Foothills Food Bank & Resource Center at 480.488.1145. The Foothills Food Bank & Resource Center is located at 6038 E. Hidden Valley Drive in Cave Creek.
