United Way of Northern Arizona — COVID-19 Fund Providing Some Frozen Help

Shortly after it became clear this spring that coronavirus was going to change life as we know it, the United Way of Northern Arizona created the COVID-19 Fund to help nonprofits as they addressed the pandemic.

Thanks to your generosity, UWNA has distributed more than $379,866 to local groups addressing the economic fallout from COVID-19. Typically these grants are for large, round numbers that help these groups as they deal with increased demand for basic needs.

But today we wanted to talk about a smaller, and very specific, grant that is changing lives in the Grand Canyon area: a check for $4,717.29 to the Grand Canyon Food Pantry.

Housed in what used to be the tiny jail in Grand Canyon Village, the food pantry is the brainchild of Michael Scott (pictured left).

A couple of years ago, when he learned that about half of the children in the local school system were on free or reduced lunch, Mike worried about what they did when school was out and organized local churches to make and distribute sandwiches a couple of days a week during the summer.

That led to more partnerships with local government, businesses and St. Mary’s Food Bank to create a Summer Cafe for children. Last year, these partners formed a nonprofit to create the food pantry and a year-round effort to address food insecurity.

When it started last spring, the food pantry used a grant to purchase a walk-in refrigerator, but also received a donation of a second walk-in unit. Checking with contractors, it was discovered that for $4717.29, that second unit could be converted into a freezer.

“Having 18,000 cubic feet of freezer would allow us to safely store rescued and donated proteins as well as bakery items, such as bread, to distribute to our clients,” Mike wrote in his grant application.

This is how your donations are making a difference to many families in the Grand Canyon area. In March and April alone, it is estimated that the pantry assisted between 15% to 18% of the population there.

It’s common now to talk about “coronavirus fatigue” as the pandemic stretches from weeks to months, but the need being felt by our fellow residents in northern Arizona is real and continuing.

With our partners and fueled by your generosity, UWNA is continuing the work of quickly transforming donations into solutions as we collectively deal with this crisis and the economic recovery to come.

If you can, please consider a donation to the COVID-19 Fund today.