Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation contributes $100K to Arizona Food Bank Network

Staff Writer | Volunteer Zone

The Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation has contributed $100,000 to the Arizona Food Bank Network to support food distribution efforts across Arizona.

The funding will support the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, St. Mary’s Food Bank, United Food Bank and the Yuma Community Food Bank, as well as partner agencies statewide, with resources directed to food distribution centers serving communities with high participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, according to a press release.

“One in seven Arizonans struggles with hunger,” said April Bradham, president and chief executive officer of the Arizona Food Bank Network.

“Through our coalition of five food banks, four of which are regional warehouses, and the more than 1,000 food pantries and agencies they serve, we are working together to address hunger in Arizona. This donation will help us in our mission to feed more than 700,000 food insecure people in all 15 counties in Arizona who come to food banks each month for help.”

Providing support to food-insecure Arizonans is a focus of Delta Dental of Arizona’s funding guidelines. While this support is typically delivered through the organization’s annual grant program, Delta Dental of Arizona responded to increased demand at food banks following a pause in SNAP funding during a federal government shutdown that affected military families and other vulnerable populations across the state.

“Without the means to purchase healthy foods, many Arizona families are faced with tough choices about how to access the nutritious foods they need to stay healthy. The consequences are bleak,” said Michael Jones, president and chief executive officer of Delta Dental of Arizona and chair of the Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation. “Delta Dental of Arizona is deeply committed to improving the health and well-being of communities across the state—not only through affordable dental and vision benefits, but also through strategic, community-driven philanthropy like this. Through this donation, Delta Dental of Arizona is creating a path to better health and wellness.”

The donation is part of Delta Dental of Arizona’s broader efforts to address oral and overall health statewide.

Through its foundation, the organization supports long-term initiatives focused on education, health access and wellness, including an annual grant program, a partnership with Arizona PBS focused on children’s oral health education, the Delta Dental of Arizona Oral Health Clinic at St. Vincent de Paul, collaborations with Phoenix Children’s and the Banner Health Foundation Hospital Oral Care and Periodontal Disease Education program, museum-wide programming with the Children’s Museum of Phoenix, and the University of Arizona College of Medicine–Phoenix Oral Health in Medicine Initiative.

Since 2010, Delta Dental of Arizona has invested more than $20 million in initiatives supporting oral health education, disease prevention and food security.

The organization has also developed a free directory of low-cost dental clinics for uninsured and underinsured residents across Arizona. In addition, Delta Dental of Arizona employees collectively volunteer more than 1,000 hours each year.