Sedona AZ (August 10, 2013) – In 2012, according to the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), Arizona ranked as the 14 worst in the country for a “food hardship” rate, up from the 15th worst in 2011. One in five Arizona households (20.9%) are food insecure. According to local research conducted by Cornucopia Community Advocates, one out of four adults are food insecure and one out of three children do not know where their next meal will come from.

Although the Verde Valley is fortunate to have fourteen emergency food agencies who provide help to hungry residents, these agencies are not immune to the challenges we all face as a result of a troubled economy. The Yavapai Food Neighbors Project, a program introduced and administered by Yavapai Food Council (YFC), is a means of building community through a long-term “food donor drive.”  It is simple and a great way to get involved – possibly the easiest volunteer work you will ever have!

One out of three children is food insecure reports FRAC

This volunteer based program is simple:

Volunteer Neighborhood Coordinators (NC) bring a group of 15 to 20 people together to create his or her “Neighborhood.” These people are called “Neighborhood Donors” (ND) and may be a traditional neighbor that you live near, from a “work-place” or “association” neighborhood, or even wonderful people you connect with by tabling at the grocery store. Each neighbor is provided a reusable green bag and is asked to buy a couple extra food items each time they go to shopping. Then, on the second Saturday of every even month (Oct, Dec, Feb, Apr, Jun, Aug) donors place their filled green bags at their door for the Neighborhood Coordinator to pickup – and an empty bag is left in its place.

The food collected is donated to community food banks, pantries, and hunger programs. Its flagship program in The Ashland (Oregon) Food Project is responsible for communities on the West Coast collecting over 1 million pounds of food since 2009.

“Yavapai Food Council is thrilled to be working with the Ashland Food Project. The beauty of this project is it’s simplicity and the opportunity for members of our communities to volunteer and be involved with very little effort. Simply pick up a few extra items when grocery shopping, put them in your green bag at home and set that bag on your door step one Saturday morning every other month. How much easier can volunteering be? We hope to collect as much as 10,000 pounds of food through the Yavapai Food Neighbors Project before the end of this year,” explained Amy Aossey, Executive Director of Yavapai Food Council.

Join the Yavapai Food Neighbors Project

According to Aossey, the Yavapai Food Neighbors Project pilot collection was launched Thursday, July 18, 2013, with volunteer Neighborhood Coordinators placed in Camp Verde, Sedona and VOC. The pilot collection period will last four weeks, in comparison to the normal collection period of two months.

Donors in the pilot neighborhoods will place their green bags at their front door before 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 17, 2013, for Neighborhood Coordinators to pick up between 9 AM and 10 AM. The Neighborhood Coordinators will then take the bags to the Sedona YMCA for weighing, sorting and delivery of the food collected.

Are you interested in coordinating your neighborhood with the Yavapai Food Neighbors Project? The next coordinator and project informational meeting has been scheduled for Thursday, August 22, 2013, at the Sedona YMCA at 6:00 PM.

Are you interested in becoming a neighborhood donor? Contact the Food Council to be connected with a coordinator in your neighborhood by emailing Amy@YavapaiFoodCouncil.org or calling 928-593-0755.

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