Scottsdale Food Bank opens new warehouse facility, expands healthy-food services
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Summary
City staff presented the newly relocated Scottsdale Food Bank, reporting expanded capacity, fresh-produce emphasis, partnerships and volunteer support.
City staff updated the Scottsdale City Council on the Scottsdale Food Bank's move to a new warehouse-style location at McKellips and Miller Road and described expanded services and partnerships that increase capacity for fresh food and emergency boxes.
"Scottsdale Food Bank has recently moved to a new location on McKellips and Miller Road," said Kira Peters, senior director of Library and Human Services, noting the food bank had operated at Vista del Camino for about 47 years and outgrew the space. Peters said the new site functions more like a warehouse and supports volunteer staging, larger deliveries and safer vehicle circulation.
Staff provided service figures through March 2025 showing 533 unduplicated households served and a total in-kind value near $596,000 for that period. Peters also highlighted the Healthy Packs program, which served 349 students, and a partnership network that includes St. Mary's Food Bank, Scottsdale Community Partners and grants from the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. "We have 30-plus volunteers who work weekly in the food bank," Peters said, and staff estimated donated and rescued food at roughly 435,000 pounds year-to-date with an estimated value noted in the staff slide deck.
Council members praised the relocation and the food-rescue and composting efforts. Councilwoman Solange Whitehead thanked staff and emphasized the food-rescue model; Vice Mayor Jan DeBoskis said trolley service will help seniors and residents reach the new site.
Staff said operating costs for five food-bank employees total approximately $230,000 annually and that the operation depends heavily on donated food, partner deliveries and volunteer labor. The human-services team said it will continue outreach for grants, donations and volunteer groups to support the expanded mission.
City staff encouraged groups to organize volunteer shifts and noted the food bank also supports Granite Reef Senior Center brown-bag deliveries and the Scottsdale Unified School District Healthy Packs program. The council received the presentation and had no substantive action to take at the meeting.
