Phoenix Rescue Mission

This morning I had the opportunity to visit Phoenix Rescue Mission, which is one of our partner agencies that receives food from us on a daily basis. My visit had two purposes.

The first was to conduct client interviews for the 2005 Hunger Study hosted by America's Second Harvest. There were four of us interviewing individuals while they were at the mission taking advantage of their morning meal program. We all followed a very structured interviewing process so the data collected nationally can be evaluated properly. I had the chance to speak with three individuals. While their stories and backgrounds were varied, there were also some common themes. They all reached a point where the only way they were certain to have a meal for the day or a roof over their heads at night was to turn to the services of the PRM. They all have expectations of improving their current situation, but for the short term they rely on PRM for support. When asked "where they would turn if PRM was not there to help?" they all struggled to respond....They just didn't know about other alternatives.

The second reason for my visit was to meet with PRM's Operations Director for a tour and overview of the programs and services offered to those in need in our community. It is tough to describe how impressed I was by the facility, the programs, the friendliness of the staff and the commitment they have to their mission. At times, here at St Mary's, it is easy to get caught up in the business of moving food through the system from our donors to our partner agencies. That is why it is wonderful to be able to visit locations where the food we distribute is ultimately put into the hands of those in need. It really reinforces the criticalness of the role we play as a food bank, rescuing food so it doesn't get thrown out and soliciting other food from our generous donors. PRM could not provide 700 meals a day without the food they receive from St Mary's Food Bank