Gallego Calls In St. Mary’s as Phoenix Hunger Fight Heats Up

Mayor Kate Gallego is thanking Phoenicians after the city rolled out a new anti-hunger push called PHX Hunger Relief in partnership with St. Mary’s Food Bank. In a brief announcement, City Hall praised local donors and volunteers and said the program will coordinate city services and nonprofit partners to get food where it is needed most. Officials are framing the campaign as part of a broader effort to shore up emergency food supplies across Phoenix neighborhoods.

In a post on X, Gallego wrote that “Phoenix is a community that takes care of our neighbors,” and thanked residents for stepping up after PHX Hunger Relief’s launch. She pointed people who need assistance, as well as those who want to support the effort, to St. Mary’s online resources. The message is the first public notice of PHX Hunger Relief from City Hall and signals that the administration plans to lean on local nonprofits to manage distribution.

How PHX Hunger Relief Builds On Earlier Drives

The City of Phoenix previously teamed up with St. Mary’s on a citywide food drive in November 2025 that set up neighborhood drop-off locations and a central resource page for residents, according to a City of Phoenix announcement. Those logistics laid the groundwork PHX Hunger Relief will now lean on. Local outlet Hoodline covered the city’s push last fall, and city officials say current donations and volunteers will again be routed through the same neighborhood sites to reach households in need.

St. Mary’s Role And Capacity

St. Mary’s Food Bank, the nonprofit Gallego tagged in her post, operates a statewide network of more than 600 partner agencies and reports that it distributes food to millions of Arizonans each year, according to St. Mary’s Food Bank. The organization says it stretches donations through bulk purchasing and estimates that one dollar can provide roughly five meals. Its Ways To Give page lists donation and volunteer options for both individuals and groups. PHX Hunger Relief will tap St. Mary’s mobile distributions and partner pantries to move food into neighborhoods quickly.

How To Get Help Or Give

Residents searching for local distribution points or food-box pickup sites are being directed to the City of Phoenix’s online resource pages for current locations and hours. The city’s Food Help page lists neighborhood sites, library drop-offs and other services that are part of the city network. Volunteers and community groups can also sign up through the city’s portals to support local drives and distributions.

Why This Matters

Food banks across the Valley have seen sustained higher demand in recent months, a pattern that public-health and nonprofit officials have connected to interruptions and strains in federal nutrition programs, according to reporting by KJZZ. Local leaders say coordinated campaigns like PHX Hunger Relief help bridge shortfalls during spikes in need by funneling donations and volunteers to the hardest hit areas. City and nonprofit spokespeople have not yet provided detailed timelines for PHX Hunger Relief rollouts beyond the mayor’s post.