Letter from the Executive Director
Erik Arriola

Greetings from the Food Bank! I hope this new year is treating you well. I can hardly believe we are a quarter of the way through 2024!

We ended 2023 by serving a record breaking 42,014 individuals. I would like to give a tremendous Thank You to all our financial donors, organizations, churches, schools and volunteers who make what we do possible. Whether you give big or small, it takes everyone working together to serve 42,014 individuals.

So far this year you may have seen us around—we’ve been busy with: Stand Up AJ Health & Wellness Walk, Point in Time – Homeless Count for the City of AJ, attended fundraisers, built a float for the Lost Dutchman Days Parade, worked our booth and the 50/50 raffle at Lost Dutchman Days, hosted our Annual Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon, Easter Meal Box distribution, presented to Superstition Mountain Rotary Club then to Apache Junction Health and Human Services Committee, worked the Arizona Renaissance Festival, and continued our daily receiving, sorting and distributing of food here at the Food Bank!

I have a few favors to ask of you!

1. Please share with anyone you know that the Superstition Community Food Bank is a Qualifying Charitable Organizations. For the past two decades, residents of Arizona have been empowered to direct funds to their favorite qualifying nonprofit and reduce their taxes owed dollar-for- dollar or increase their refunds. Arizona is one of only a few states that lets the resident taxpayer decide which local problem such as hunger and other human needs they wish to help solve. When you file your state taxes, complete AZ Form 321. Single-filers can donate up to $421 and joint filers can contribute up to $841. You can donate at superstitionfoodbank.org online for your receipt or choose Apache Junction Reach Out, Inc. dba Superstition Community Food Bank on the Arizona Department of Revenue site when you file. Please note: Arizona law allows QCO donations made during 2023 or donations made from January 1, 2024 through April 15, 2024 to be claimed on the 2023 Arizona income tax return.
2. The Annual “Stamp Out Hunger” Postal Food Drive is on Saturday, May 11, 2024! Please help us spread the word. We would love to beat last years number of 28,000 lbs. of food donated. If you would like to volunteer, please let us know as we need many hands that day!
3. Do you have time to serve on our Board of Directors? We need several people to step up to help guide the Food Bank into the future. If you have a passion for what we do and time to dedicate and helping around, we would love to have a conversation with you about joining our Board of Directors.

Once again, thank you to everyone that continues to support the Food Bank and our mission to help those facing food insecurity.

With gratitude,

Erik Arriola
Executive Director