Food Drive Features the Debut of Tempe’s First Refrigerated Mobile Food Pantry
The Arizona Diamondbacks have teamed up with the Tempe Community Action Agency and the City of Tempe to help expand opportunities and resources for the more than 16,000 city residents currently facing hunger or food insecurity.
Together, the three hosted a community-wide food drive dubbed, “Fill A Truck/Feed the Need,” Tuesday, Feb. 12, where they collected nonperishable food items in the vein of oatmeal, rice, pasta, canned protein items, peanut butter, and canned and dried fruit, among other selections. Tempe Mayor Mark Mitchell was onsite to help kickoff the festivities, while Arizona Diamondbacks players J.J. Putz and Willie Bloomquist were also in attendance helping collect food donations from community members alongside the team’s mascot, Baxter.
In addition to filling a truck full of nutritious foods for distribution through TCAA’s long-running Food Pantry Program, the event also featured the official debut of the “Hunger Relief Runner,” which is Tempe’s first-ever refrigerated mobile food pantry and a purchase made possible thanks to funding TCAA secured after receiving the 2018 Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation Ken Kendrick Grand Slam Award.
“We are thankful for the Arizona Diamondbacks’ support, which has allowed us to increase our ability to distribute nutritious food through our Food Pantry Program,” said Deborah Arteaga, executive director of Tempe Community Action Agency. “We are excited to reveal this much-needed community asset and look forward to the public’s involvement in collecting food donations to feed people in need.”
With the addition of the Hunger Relief Runner, TCAA can broadly expand its offerings for the city’s hungry, exposing those in need to a broader variety of nutritious foods that can help improve their overall health and wellness. For those unable to make it the event, TCAA accepts donations at its main office (2416 Apache Blvd., Temp) from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
