Charity begins at home. Those who are fortunate enough to live in Utah are not unfamiliar with this notion. Supporting neighbors and friends through the ups and downs of life has become a comforting routine. One organization that has been a staple of community support is the Utah Food Bank.
The Utah Food Bank has spent the last 120 years organizing a network of selfless individuals, organizations and companies to address hunger and the need for other necessities. Instead of leaving these community basic needs to inherently wasteful bureaucracies, the Utah Food Bank turns every $1 donated into $7.23 worth of goods and services. It is an incredibly efficient model that relies on individual and corporate donations for 46% of its total funding.
Says Ginette Bott, Utah Foodbank CEO, “We write grant proposals every year to foundations and government for the balance of the funding, but although they are sometimes successful, they are inconsistent from year to year.” Bott continues, “We rely heavily on the generosity of individuals in the community concerned about the well-being of their own communities.”
Through the charitable food donations of 51 local grocery retailers, the Utah Food Bank collects fresh and healthy food that may otherwise be discarded. It then relies primarily on volunteers to sort and package these donations before redistributing to those in need. An amazing service opportunity for a family during the holiday season is to schedule a couple of hours volunteering to benefit the community.
Donated time and expertise from large organizations like the Southern Utah Homebuilders Association (SUHBA) have contributed many hours of service. In 2023, SUHBA sent volunteers to paint and upgrade the 15,000 square-foot warehouse expansion in St. George. The need was to serve 415,000 recipients of food in 2024, up from 385,000 the year before. “SUHBA Heroes,” coordinated by Denise Stewart, rally homebuilders like Steve Haddox of American Heritage Homes and service providers like Laura Hirschi from InfoWest to repackage donated food, pet food and even diapers for distribution.
It is not uncommon for families and children with nutritional needs to be limited by transportation options since food is the first priority of existence. The solution in 2024 was to open a smaller food pantry in neighboring Hurricane, in addition to the ongoing mobile distribution efforts in many of the rural towns across southern Utah— from Beaver to Kane County.
Further, several local schools have students whose families rely on the mobile school pantry program that accommodates 19 southern Utah schools on a monthly basis. Needful students are encouraged to take something home from the truck when it shows up, in order to insure the children and families, who are legitimately in need, are not self-conscious about the process, an empathetically genius system.
The most cherished gift one can give another is peace of mind. When a neighbor does not have the security of knowing where their next meal will come from, nothing else matters. Food is the most basic human need.
This season, consider the act of giving: providing food, time or money to support friends and neighbors through the Utah Food Bank. For more information, go to utahfoodbank.org or call 435.656.9122.
Joe Morris is a 20-year resident of St. George, and was raised in Nevada. He is the father of five, grandfather of three and husband of Holly. Reading, writing, golfing, fly fishing and remodeling their 106-year-old downtown St. George home fill his time. Joe is also the new publisher of St George City Lifestyle.