For the first time, South Tucson residents have a mobile food bank of their own, after Interfaith Community Services added a new distribution site earlier this year to better serve elderly and disabled neighbors who struggled to access its original location.

Residents can now find the mobile food bank at the South Tucson Housing Authority, 1713 S. Third Ave., on the fourth Tuesday of every month. The housing authority is a government agency that provides affordable public housing and assistance for low-income individuals and families in the city.

Any Pima County resident with a valid ID can access free groceries from the new site.

“The conversation about the food bank started earlier this year,” South Tucson Vice Mayor Melissa Brown-Dominguez told Tucson Spotlight. “We do a monthly food service for the elderly and disabled at South Tucson Housing Authority with South Tucson Community Outreach, and we've done that for about three years now.”

Brown-Dominguez played a key role in securing the new location. Prior to its opening, the closest ICS site was at Grace Temple Missionary Baptist Church, near East 31st Street and South Park Avenue.

“In this community, we know how large the food insecurity issue is,” Brown-Dominguez said. “I had heard about ICS. They were struggling with getting folks to (another nearby) location, so I called them and asked if there was a possibility of moving it to (the housing authority), because we had engagement there.”

Brown-Dominguez said she met with Interfaith Community Services’ CEO and South Tucson’s housing director, who both approved the new location.

“It’s been up and running for five months now, and they service about 78 people per month,” Brown-Dominguez said.

The new location primarily aims to serve elderly and disabled residents who have difficulty getting to stores, especially without transportation. The recent closure of Food City, South Tucson’s only grocery store, has added another obstacle for residents.

Brown-Dominguez said that even when Food City was open, food insecurity remained a major issue in South Tucson and affected residents of all ages and backgrounds.

She said that while the new food bank stop is a step forward, significant need remains.

“There's a lot more to do, but the residents are so grateful. Every single month that I see them, they are just so happy to have any kind of extra food,” Brown-Dominguez said. “The nice thing about ICS is that they give people a variety of groceries, so they'll get a box of dry goods, dairy, fresh fruit and vegetables.”

With South Tucson Community Outreach’s monthly grocery distributions, residents now have two local options to receive fresh and shelf-stable food. Brown-Dominguez said that while these services add up, it’s still not enough and that residents need support year-round.

Before recent changes to SNAP benefits, many disabled and elderly residents did not qualify for assistance, she said. And after paying for rent and medication, some residents are left with only $20 to $50 for monthly groceries.

“That’s very difficult, especially with the rising costs of groceries,” Brown-Dominguez said. “That’s why we started working with (ICS) three years ago. And if I’m able to bring more resources, I do.”

ICS’s Mobile Food Bank will be at the South Tucson Housing Authority on Tuesday, Nov. 25, from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.

Colton Allder is a Tucson-based freelancer who reports for Tucson Spotlight. Contact him at callder1995@gmail.com.

Tucson Spotlight is a community-based newsroom that provides paid opportunities for students and rising journalists in Southern Arizona. Please consider supporting our work with a tax-deductible donation.