Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona Receives OK for $1 Million in Funding for Cochise County, Administered by DES
Photo credit: CFBSA
The Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona (CFBSA) provides nutritious food and resources to local community partners and residents, and it just got a boost through a $1 million fund that is administered by the Department of Economic Security (DES), as it announced in a media release on May 7.
“In rural Arizona, there is a significant need to increase access to nutritious food,” said DES Director Michael Wisehart. “We are grateful for our partners at CFBSA and other local organizations, like the City of Bisbee, who have helped plan the best way to direct these funds to meet the needs of the community. Now, we are positioned to make a thoughtful impact in Cochise County.”
The funds stem from House Bill 2897, which directs DES to distribute the $1 million to nonprofit organizations located in Cochise County to provide food to low-income individuals. CFBSA is the nonprofit responsible for distributing those funds to other, smaller local organizations and also ensuring food arrives to county residents through its own facilities. The food bank will have until the end of June 2025, which is the end of the state fiscal year, to spend all of the funding.
DES has a contract with CFBSA so it can provide programs like The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), Commodity Senior Food Program (CSFP), among other vital food services.
CFBSA Vice President of Policy and Community Organizing Claudio Rodriguez said receiving the $1 million in appropriations has eased some of the stress in serving Cochise County, even as the area has seen a steep increase in individuals and families served over the last year. The need for hunger relief in Cochise County has increased by 13% since 2024, which is 5% more than expected.
“We’re going to use all the money to buy food, buy any equipment that folx need to distribute the food, so that’s where we’ve been at the last six months,” said Claudio. “We’re reassuring folks that this money is for Cochise County, so all organizations that are involved with the project and do TEFAP distribution will have access to this, and we’re just the ones holding the funds right now and handling the purchases to get the food out into the community.”
In Cochise County alone, CFBSA works with approximately 15 sites, including four in Bisbee. CFBSA's mobile distribution sites, particularly in Douglas, saw a large influx of individuals being served. In June 2024, the food bank served 300 individuals at that particular mobile site, in contrast to February 2025, when 700 individuals were served.
Along with state funding, Claudio said the major way CFB is supported is from individuals, families, and foundations across the region who donate money, food, or time through volunteering.
“It is the biggest driver of this work. If people can donate to the organizations within their communities or to us, we can allocate that money.”
Visit the Community Food Bank's Get Involved page to learn more about CFB's work. The Food Assistance webpage provides information on DES programs.