Senator convened community stakeholders and advocates to discuss solutions to the rising cost of food and hear Arizonans’ priorities for the 2023 Farm Bill
PHOENIX – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema convened a community roundtable discussion at St. Mary’s Food Bank to address challenges Arizona families face with continued inflation and the rising cost of food and the upcoming 2023 Farm Bill with farmers, food retailers, and advocacy organizations.
“With the high cost of groceries, Arizona families face real challenges putting food on the table. I’ll continue working to ensure everyday working Arizonans can keep more of their own money in their pockets,” said Sinema.
The rising cost of food continues to burden Arizona families with high prices at the grocery store and restaurants.
Sinema has achieved success in recent years by bringing unlikely partners together and building strong alliances that examine everyone’s needs and identify real solutions to the challenges they face. Sinema’s roundtable at St. Mary’s Food Bank included representatives from the Arizona Food Bank Network, St. Mary’s Food Bank, Local First, Hickman’s Eggs, Wildfire, Valley of the Sun United Way, Area Agency on Aging, Arizona Food Marketing Alliance, Pinnacle Prevention, and Children’s Action Alliance.
In addition to discussing the ways all participating organizations can work together to address rising prices, Sinema heard from roundtable participants about their needs and goals for the 2023 Farm Bill. The Farm Bill is reauthorized every five years, and Sinema has made clear that she intends to help lower costs through bipartisan negotiations on the legislation.
There are many nutrition programs supported by the Farm Bill that help ensure Arizona families are fed, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP), and more. Sinema discussed with the stakeholders how to preserve and expand the programs that lower the cost of food in the 2023 Farm Bill.
Each year ahead of Thanksgiving, Sinema volunteers at St. Mary’s Food Bank – the world’s first food bank – to ensure families are fed and call attention to St. Mary’s incredible efforts combating food insecurity.