Frequently Asked Questions
Find the most frequently asked questions for all food distributions associated with St. Mary’s Food Bank below. If you cannot find the answer to your question, please contact the St. Mary’s Food Bank hotline at 602-344-4124 or click the blue icon in the bottom right of your screen to chat with us.
Individuals and families in need of food assistance can visit a food pantry to receive food at no cost. Food can range from fresh vegetables, fruits, canned goods, baked goods, to meat products, and much more! Food pantries are run by passionate organizations like non-profits, churches, schools, and government affiliated agencies. Find a food pantry near you now.
Visit Find Food Now and search the map using your location or zip code. This will help locate a food pantry partner who helps St. Mary’s Food Bank distribute food across the state of Arizona.
You can refine the search by Food Program, Days of Operation, Open Today, and more to find the closest food distribution to you. We recommend you call the pantries using the number provided to confirm hours of operation.
Expect there to be a line and that you may have to wait before being served. Try calling the food pantry ahead of time to ask when the best time is to come for low wait times. Find a food pantry near you, by visiting Find Food Now.
Bring Proof of Identity (please see which IDs are acceptable in question below). You will also need share how many people are living in your household and some pantries may require their names and ages to keep track of who lives in what household. If receiving government commodities, you will be asked for your first and last name, date of birth, gender identity, ethnicity, and proof of AZ residence. This information is never shared with outside groups.
Your information will be written down or put into a computer-based system called Link2Feed. This is a statewide database that food pantries use to track the number of households served and the type of product distributed.
Some programs require different forms of identification. Acceptable forms of ID for each program include, but are not limited to those outlined below:
- The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP): Driver’s license; Photo ID containing the participant’s address; Lease agreement; Property ownership documentation; Rent or mortgage receipt; Utility bill; or a letter from an official Arizona agency that shows your current address. If you are experiencing homelessness, be sure to know the cross-streets or location where you stay at night.
- Commodity Senior Food Program (CSFP): Driver’s license; Photo ID containing the participant’s date of birth; CSFP Yellow Card; Birth Certificate; Social Security Administration record; Passport or passport card (regardless of expiration date); Census documents; including Tribal census records; Baptismal certificate; Military discharge documents; or a letter from an official Arizona agency that shows your current address.
Neighbors without a photo ID, or those who don’t reside in Arizona, may receive donated product, but not government funded commodities such as TEFAP or CSFP.
Neighbors who are not comfortable showing a photo ID or providing information may receive donated product, but not government commodities such as TEFAP or CSFP. Government commodity programs are designed to serve Arizona residents only and require proof of residency and identification.
The St. Mary’s Food Bank offers a home delivery program for people that have a physical or mental disability, prolonged illness, or a transportation issue. We offer this service in Maricopa County, Coconino County, Pinal County, and Yavapai County and you must be 18 years or older to receive a food delivery. If you do not live in 1 of the 4 counties above, call your nearest food pantry to ask if they offer home delivery in your area, many do!
To schedule a home delivery, please call our team at 602-344-4124 or register online.
“Expiration dates” can be confusing and lead to throwing away perfectly good food. The best indicators of whether food is safe to eat or not are your own senses of sight, touch, smell, & taste.
You may also explore the FoodKeeper website to search by category for the freshness and consumption of various products. It was developed by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, with Cornell University and the Food Marketing Institute. It is also available as a mobile application for Android and Apple. Learn more about the FoodKeeper App on their website.
Have additional questions about food product dating and expiration dates? Learn more on the USDA website below.
Most food pantries have a translation plan to help understand your needs. However, we recommend you download the free Google Translation app which has 133 languages that can be translated through voice or text, bring a bi-lingual friend that can help with translation, or call the phone number on this document below for free translation services.
To find additional food help in our service area, please visit Food Resources in AZ or call our hotline at 602-344-4124.
You may also visit www.benefits.gov or Arizona Department of Economic Security website for information about more than 1,000 benefit and assistance programs.
Call 2-1-1 or visit https://211arizona.org/ for other community services, including housing and shelter, health and dental, veterans’ services, employment services, utilities assistance and more.
