About AAFB

• Established in 1984 as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.
• Five-member regional food bank warehouses serving more than 1,600 food pantries and human services agencies statewide.
• 14 member volunteer Board of Directors.
• 9 staff members.
• $2,030,225 annual operating budget.
• Member food banks distribute an average of 10 million pounds of food a month to low-income Arizonans.

  2007-2008 AAFB Audit - Released November 2008

 2007-2008 AAFB 990 Report to IRS - Released November 2008

• Coordinating collection, procurement and distribution of food.
• Developing financial support, relationships and resources.
• Advocating for food security through public policy.
• Serving as a source of information and expertise to increase awareness of hunger issues.
• Investigating new initiatives to preserve and expand food resources.

Our on-going goals include:

• Coordinating the rescuing, transportation and distribution of food.
• Providing effective public education about hunger issues.
• Advocating for food security through sound public nutrition policy.
• Improve and maintain organizational effectiveness to maximize our efforts to help hungry people.
• Develop financial support, relationships and resources to better serve our members.
• Expanding coalitions with other anti-hunger and anti-poverty organizations.

Our advocacy efforts have resulted in the passage of the:

• Charity Food Bank Act (1986).
• Charitable Crop Contribution Bill (1993).
• Food Bank Governmental Incentive Bill (1996).
• Joint Legislative Committee on Hunger Bill (2003).

In addition, our work with food banks and other anti-hunger groups in Arizona has resulted in funding being appropriated to the following:

• Coordinated Hunger Program line item (currently $1,786,600).
• The Hunger Hurts Us All legislation (1991) resulted in the addition of $1,000,000 in state funding to support WIC, $100,000 for startup funding for school breakfast programs, $224,900 in additional state funding to the Rural Food Bank line item, and passage of the first "model" Good Samaritan Food Donation law in the United States.
• In 1998, we advocated for and won $200,000 for the first state funding to support community food security in the nation. In 2000, we successfully led advocacy efforts to reauthorize Arizona's Joint Legislative Committee on Hunger and garner support funding for Food Stamp outreach.
• In 2001, we secured additional state funding to support food administration and centralized food storage.
• In 2003, we once again reauthorized the Joint Legislative Committee on Hunger.
• Nationally, we have played a lead role with other state and national advocates to retain support of commodity distribution programs for low income Americans.
• We first became involved with the passage of the Hunger Prevention Act in 1988 that modified food stamp regulations and re-authorized the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP).
• In 1994, we authored the "American Hunger Relief Program" as an effort to provide guidance to reform efforts supporting low income Americans. This draft later became the "Bill Emerson Memorial Bill" passed by Congress in 1996 which moved the TEFAP program from discretionary to mandatory spending and authorized $145 million in spending to support acquisition of food and distribution of product to needy households.

Previous Accomplishments:

• Secured passage of the Charity Food Banks Bill in 1986, which established the Arizona Hunger Advisory Council.
• Creators and leaders of the Hunger Hurts Us All Coalition in 1991 which achieved passage of legislation to strengthen Arizona's Good Samaritan Food Donation Act and added $1.8 million in new state funds for support of anti-hunger programs.
• Development and coordination of the Arizona Statewide Gleaning Project, which has yielded 689 million pounds of food since it began in 1993.
• Secured passage of House Bill 2140 in 1996 that allocates $700,000 annually for Arizona Food Banks and created a Joint Legislative Committee on Hunger.
• Development and coordination of the CHECK OUT HUNGER program involving grocery chains, corporate sponsors and food banks. Program raised more than $2,700,000 from 1997 to 2001.
• Secured passage of House Bill 2620 in 1998, which includes $200,000 for both Community Food Security Grants and support for food banks cooperative food programs, to feed hungry Arizonans impacted by Welfare Reform.
• Established five food bank warehouses in rural areas of the state.
• Ongoing publication of FOOD LINES, an anti-hunger quarterly newsletter, the Emergency Food Providers Directory annually, and the Arizona Food Assistance Program Guide.
• Established and maintains the Donor Client Hot Line for statewide access to the food bank network for donations and referrals.
• Conducted regional and statewide food drives, such as Scouting for Food, Let's Talk Turkey, Healthcare Fights Hunger and Girls Scouts Against Hunger open house reaping annual totals of more than 500,000 pounds each year.
• Established strong partnerships with state administering agencies of federal food and nutrition assistance programs, businesses and religious leaders.
• Assisted with securing passage of House Bill 2544 in 2005, also known as the Junk Food Bill which removed vending machines from all elementary and middle school campuses in Arizona.
• Established annual Statewide Conference on Hunger and Regional Meetings for volunteers and hunger professionals on a national level.
• Raised funds to purchase trucking equipment for Emergency Services Network and to support costs associated with the distribution of 2.5 million pounds of Operation Desert Share product.
• Administered Change for the Hungry program, a customer donation project of Safeway Stores in Arizona and New Mexico.
• Initiated coordination efforts to provide and improve emergency food services on Arizona Indian Reservations.
• Supported national anti-hunger legislation for such programs as TEFAP, WIC, and Food Stamps.
• Coordinated the response of Arizona food banks to 13 natural disasters.
• Established strong partnerships with food industry representatives and leaders.