KINGMAN – The Kingman Area Food Bank’s Board of Directors reviewed the Report for the Fiscal Year from July 2023 to June 2024. As grocery prices and inflation in many sectors have squeezed the budgets of every family, the need for the Kingman Area Food Bank’s services has increased.
Secretary/Treasurer Patricia Koalska stated, “The Kingman Area Food Bank and other organizations are doing a lot to help address hunger. Regardless, 1,100 new clients started using our services this year.”
Senior citizens are a large number of their clients. Seniors must often carefully budget funds for housing, medications, and food.
The Executive Director Ryan Garcia, said, “We are very grateful to our local supermarkets and retailers for donating 611,000 pounds of food last fiscal year. Much of that are fresh fruits and vegetables, healthy items that our clients request.” Through the “Food Recovery Program” KAFB gets food from Walmart, Smiths, the Two Safeways, Bashas, Big Lots and CVS. The KAFB box truck picks up food every day of the year except for Thanksgiving day and Christmas day.
They also received a large amount of assorted food from St Mary’s Food Bank in Phoenix. Between St Mary’s and the local stores, in the last Fiscal Year we processed and handed out a little over two million pounds of food.
Besides the food that thet provided at their location, they gave away 400,000 pounds of food out of their warehouse to other community charitable organizations and churches including Tianna’s Treasures, Cornerstone Baptist Church, Kingman Family Worship Center, and the VFW, among others.
In addition to a small staff, they rely heavily on dedicated volunteers.
Board President Tom Price said, “We are immensely grateful to our volunteers who work many
hours sorting food, stocking the client store, helping clients, and maintaining the
warehouse.”
Their volunteers selflessly worked 15,000 hours last fiscal year. They bring a joyful and supportive attitude to the Kingman Area Food Bank, always looking for a way to help their clients with their challenges. For years they have had an average of 45 volunteers and 32 community service workers.
They are always in need of volunteers. They have a 101-year-old volunteer who covers our postal needs, a 93-year-old sparkly lady who works with the breads and desserts, and all the way to young teenagers who bag pet food.
Some have started as community service workers, they come back as volunteers and they end up as KAFB family members.
