The first Arizona Food Project, established in the Verde Valley in 2013, conducts collections in the Village of Oak Creek, Sedona and Cottonwood.
The collections support eight local organizations who feed the hungry in the Verde Valley. Verde Valley Neighborhood Food Project’s mission: Building community by supporting those who feed the hungry in the Verde Valley, one green bag at a time.
Today, within the Verde Valley, there are over 60 Neighborhood Coordinators picking up food from nearly 1,000 households. At each collection, they collect between 10,000 and 12,000 pounds of food. This year alone, their efforts will produce nearly 60,000 meals for the hungry in the Verde Valley—one bag at a time!
What People Are Saying About Us
“The Neighborhood Food Project demonstrates one shopping bag can make the difference in many lives. This project provides my clients with more variety of quality food choices, the food bank could not otherwise provide. As for my volunteers and myself, we are proud and excited to stock our shelves with the food this program brings in. Thank you for your generosity.”
—Cathleen Healy Baiza, Director, Sedona Community Food Bank
“The Neighborhood Food Project has helped several of our families. The food is appreciated and used to provide children with food for the weekend. Parents are grateful for this opportunity and have commented that the donations really help. The children look forward to picking up their backpacks and sometimes use donated items in their school lunches. I especially want to thank all who donate, collect, and deliver food to this worthy organization. A shout out to Verde Valley School who faithfully packs and delivers the proportioned bags every week. Caroline and her crew are amazing! God Bless!”
—Jackie Kirkham, Principal,
Immaculate Conception Catholic School
“The Food Neighbors Project truly does create an opportunity for regular folks to easily make a difference in helping those less fortunate in the community…while bringing together Neighbors with a sense of pride and generosity.”
—Gail Simpson, Neighborhood Coordinator since 2013
“When we unpack the food collected from the Green Bag collections at the SVDP Food Pantry, I am always awed at the quality and variety of the donations. It is never about the cheapest food available. I imagine a mom or family shopping, ‘We like this. Maybe a family in need will enjoy it too.’ When our volunteers unpack the donations, there are lots of ‘Wows!’ The respect for those in need is visible in the donations.”
—Ray West, St. Vincent de Paul
Pantry Manager
“I love going to the store and choosing foods that are nutritious for someone I don’t know to enjoy. It feels more personal than writing a check. The green bag lives by the front door and gets filled up as the date for pick up approaches. I’m so grateful for those who send out reminder notices, deliver the bags and keep the project going.”
—Rabbi Alicia Magal, Green Bag Donor,
Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley
The first Arizona Food Project, established in the Verde Valley in 2013, conducts collections in the Village of Oak Creek, Sedona and Cottonwood.
The collections support eight local organizations who feed the hungry in the Verde Valley. Verde Valley Neighborhood Food Project’s mission: Building community by supporting those who feed the hungry in the Verde Valley, one green bag at a time.
Today, within the Verde Valley, there are over 60 Neighborhood Coordinators picking up food from nearly 1,000 households. At each collection, they collect between 10,000 and 12,000 pounds of food. This year alone, their efforts will produce nearly 60,000 meals for the hungry in the Verde Valley—one bag at a time!
What People Are Saying About Us
“The Neighborhood Food Project demonstrates one shopping bag can make the difference in many lives. This project provides my clients with more variety of quality food choices, the food bank could not otherwise provide. As for my volunteers and myself, we are proud and excited to stock our shelves with the food this program brings in. Thank you for your generosity.”
—Cathleen Healy Baiza, Director, Sedona Community Food Bank
“The Neighborhood Food Project has helped several of our families. The food is appreciated and used to provide children with food for the weekend. Parents are grateful for this opportunity and have commented that the donations really help. The children look forward to picking up their backpacks and sometimes use donated items in their school lunches. I especially want to thank all who donate, collect, and deliver food to this worthy organization. A shout out to Verde Valley School who faithfully packs and delivers the proportioned bags every week. Caroline and her crew are amazing! God Bless!”
—Jackie Kirkham, Principal,
Immaculate Conception Catholic School
“The Food Neighbors Project truly does create an opportunity for regular folks to easily make a difference in helping those less fortunate in the community…while bringing together Neighbors with a sense of pride and generosity.”
—Gail Simpson, Neighborhood Coordinator since 2013
“When we unpack the food collected from the Green Bag collections at the SVDP Food Pantry, I am always awed at the quality and variety of the donations. It is never about the cheapest food available. I imagine a mom or family shopping, ‘We like this. Maybe a family in need will enjoy it too.’ When our volunteers unpack the donations, there are lots of ‘Wows!’ The respect for those in need is visible in the donations.”
—Ray West, St. Vincent de Paul
Pantry Manager
“I love going to the store and choosing foods that are nutritious for someone I don’t know to enjoy. It feels more personal than writing a check. The green bag lives by the front door and gets filled up as the date for pick up approaches. I’m so grateful for those who send out reminder notices, deliver the bags and keep the project going.”
—Rabbi Alicia Magal, Green Bag Donor,
Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley