Sahuarita funds highlight rising demand as food bank, Valley Assistance Services report growth and program expansion

The Sahuarita Food Bank and Community Resource Center and Valley Assistance Services presented annual reports to the Sahuarita Town Council on an agenda item about nonprofit funding and program updates.

The presentations showed rising demand for services and described how town grant funding was being used. Carlos Vias, executive director of the Sahuarita Food Bank and Community Resource Center, said, "we're feeding approximately 475 families in the community," and described programs including Saturday distributions, a backpack program serving students and a family resource center launched with United Way and partner organizations.

The reports provide a snapshot of why the council funded nonprofit awards earlier this year: the town allocated $60,000 guaranteed plus a $40,000 match (a $100,000 total) to the food bank and $50,000 guaranteed plus a $20,000 match (a $70,000 total) to Valley Assistance Services as part of the town's not-for-profit funding round. Recreation Director Devon Stalder summarized the selection and contracting process, saying the town opened requests in January, evaluated them in March and finalized budgets in July, with award distributions planned for November.

Carlos Vias said the food bank’s operations had expanded beyond emergency food distribution. He told the council the food bank rescues "about 12,500 pounds each and every week" from local grocery stores, operates a backpack program covering 11 schools and reported that last fiscal year it served 554 students in the backpack program. He also said the food bank served about "2,200 individuals here in Sahuarita" and that overall numbers rose about "22%" year over year when comparing fiscal periods.

Chris Erickson, RN and executive director of Valley Assistance Services (VASS), described the agency’s MAP housing-stability program and other services funded in part by the town. Erickson said stabilizing a household in the MAP program typically costs "4 to $6,000" and that the town-funded grant covered about "23 households or 92 individuals" under the grant. He said town funds represent about "18% of this program," and that VASS provided services to an additional "516" people in the Sahuarita area outside the grant. Erickson also reported sharp increases in client need: transportation requests were "way over 100%" higher than the prior year and MAP requests were "right around 80% more than last year."

Both nonprofit leaders highlighted workforce development and training efforts. The food bank described newly licensed vocational programming through the Arizona Board of Private Postsecondary Education and a Cook and Code program that pairs kitchen activities with a tech hub for children. VASS detailed RN home visits, SNAP assistance, a diaper bank distributing about "$9,000 worth of products a month," and partnerships with the Santa Rita Fire District on fall-prevention work for seniors.

Council members and town staff asked for and offered practical support. VASS asked for letters of support for forthcoming grant applications; a council member said he would provide a draft for review. Town staff were thanked for coordinating the funding process: Stalder singled out Nicole Sarayan for serving as a point of contact between the town and awardees.

The presentations were informational only; council members were not asked to take immediate action on the items and the funding decisions remain part of the town's budget and contracting process. The town will complete award distributions in November, staff said, and will revisit funding in next year’s cycle.