Most people have felt pangs of hunger while dieting or if a meal was skipped due to busy schedules or for religious reasons. Some families in the Gila Valley, however, feel those pains every day because there isn't any food in their cupboards or refrigerators.

The Graham County Interfaith Care Alliance hopes to help alleviate that pain with the grand opening of the new food bank, Our Neighbor's Pantry. The food bank is located at the Safford First United Methodist Church at 1020 S. 10th Ave.

Many churches and organizations donated time and money to make the group's vision come true, according to Pastor Bob Holliday.

The food bank counts on volunteers and donations to fill its shelves with food like this. Photo by Jon Johnson

"It's not one church's effort," he said. "Jesus said 'When I was hungry, you fed me'. . . By coming together as a community, this becomes a community food bank."

Jeff Hooper, an area specialist for the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development office in Willcox, was on hand for the opening and said his department was able to donate some grant money to assist with the project.

Graham County Republican Party Chairman John Rhodes attended the event as well and presented a $2,500 check to the bank from Senator John McCain.

William D. Carnegie, the president and chief executive officer of the Community Food Bank of Tucson, offered a $1,000 grant to be used at the agency’s market to help the pantry get started. The Community Food Bank previously donated a 40-by-20-foot refrigerator that the dry storage building was built around.

With the refrigerator and dry storage, the Safford location will serve as a hub for redistributing food through other organizations in Graham and Greenlee counties.

Holliday said without the ability to work with the Tucson Community Food Bank and state organizations, there would be no pantry in Safford.

In addition to helping the needy, Our Neighbor's Pantry also routinely donates Propel, a vitamin-enhanced water beverage, to several organizations, including the Graham County Search and Rescue, various municipalities and youth football teams.

Sherry Brady, the ministry associate for the First United Methodist Church, thanked those in attendance and encouraged the community to volunteer with the pantry. Anyone interested in volunteering should call Brady at 965-4607.

Volunteer Mel Taylor told the Courier he prefers to donate money and food to the pantry rather than other organizations because the benefits go directly to the needy without intermediaries.

Holliday said the pantry and state food banks could not happen without the volunteers.

"That's the only way food gets collected; that's the only way food gets distributed," he said.

"The community has blessed us all. This is an opportunity for us to give a token, a small amount back to support each other because without each other we could never do this."

Hours for the food bank are Tuesday and Thursday, 1-3 p.m.