Phoenix officials and charities mobilize as SNAP benefits face temporary cutoff for hundreds of thousands in Arizona

Mayor Kate Gallego convened city officials and nonprofit partners at Saint Mary’s Food Bank on the morning of the announcement to warn that, "in less than 24 hours, 900,000 Arizonans are going to temporarily lose their SNAP benefits," and to outline local relief efforts if federal action does not arrive.

Gallego said about 400,000 of those affected live in Phoenix, called the situation "an emergency" if benefits are not distributed, and urged the federal government to release funds now while asking residents to donate and volunteer. "For those who need help in coming days and weeks, we're here for you," she said and directed listeners to phoenix.gov for a city resource page and information about a citywide food drive planned for the coming week.

Milt Lou, president and CEO of St. Mary's Food Bank, said local charities are preparing to scale up but cannot replace federal benefits. "For every $1, for every 1 meal that food banks provide across the country, SNAP provides 9. So, SNAP provides 9 meals. Food banks provide 1," Lou said, and cited an Arizona figure of roughly $155,000,000 in SNAP benefits per month in September to show the scale of the shortfall.

Lou said St. Mary's has tapped a "rainy day" fund, has already purchased additional food to address supply-chain timing, and will lean on its network of roughly 700 partners statewide (about 250 in Phoenix) to distribute supplies. He urged monetary donations and volunteers to handle the logistics of a projected surge.

Shannon Clancy of Saint Vincent de Paul framed food assistance as homelessness prevention and warned of growing scarcity: "1 in 8 Arizonans are recipients of SNAP, and that means 1 in 8 of us right now are scared," she said, urging neighborhood food drives and small acts of support such as donating a can or an hour of time.

Other partners at the event described on-the-ground pressures. Lieutenant Colonel Charles Fowler of the Salvation Army said some locations have already seen spikes in new families seeking help and even closed early because they ran out of food. Jeff Bowles of the Creighton Community Foundation described concentrated need in parts of East Central Phoenix and linked persistent food insecurity to longer-term health and education impacts.

Speakers emphasized what kinds of donations are most useful: Beth Fiorenza of Nourish Phoenix asked donors to prioritize protein and kid-friendly staples (for example, boxed macaroni-and-cheese) when possible. Pastor Cleo Lewis, who works with people experiencing homelessness, described handing out food cards outside grocery stores and the emotional toll of turning people away when supplies run out.

Organizers and the mayor stressed limits to local capacity. "There is no way the math just doesn't work," Lou said, noting the gap cannot be closed by charities alone. City staff and partners said they will increase deliveries, coordinate volunteer shifts and distribute tens of thousands of Thanksgiving meals through existing programs; St. Mary's said it is scheduled to distribute more than 30,000 Thanksgiving meals across Arizona and is increasing orders to handle extra demand.

Mayor Gallego and the partners urged residents and businesses to contribute (food, money or volunteer time) while continuing to press federal leaders and courts to restore SNAP distribution. The mayor said state-level actions announced by Governor Hobbs are part of the city’s and nonprofits' planning, but repeated that federal action is required to restore SNAP funding at scale.

The press event ended with an appeal for donations and a reminder that phoenix.gov lists local resources and drop-off sites for the city-run food drive.