September Agency of the Month: Pure Heart Church

This month we would like to spotlight the Pure Heart Church and Food Distribution in Glendale, Arizona. The Food Ministry at Pure Heart Church has been in existent for as long as can be remembered because its membership always had a mentality which supported others. Pure Heart was selected as our Agency of the Month because they are constantly growing and adapting to better serve their community.

Recently, Pure Heart changed their distribution hours to include a Thursday evening distribution. While it was a risk at the beginning, recently they have seen an increase of clients at their evening distribution. These are clients who mostly work during the day and their only opportunity to receive assistance was during their new evening hours.  Another area of growth has been with the Grocery Rescue Program, which is now picking up from 7 stores, which are a mixture of grocery stores and convenience stores, around the valley. Through the Grocery Rescue Program, Pure Heart is able to receive meat, deli, produce, bread, non-food items, and more. What’s their recipe of success? Their director, Rosanne Minor, really attributes the success of the Grocery Rescue Program to the drivers and volunteers picking up the food. By having friendly people who pick up at the stores, they are able to build stronger relationships with the store managers. In return, the managers know what the most needed items for the pantry are and will keep a lookout for when they are able to donate these much needed items.

Additionally, Pure Heart not only supports the community through a food pantry, but through additional community resources. They provide a Job Board that shows job openings around the valley, computers where clients can work on resumes and apply for job, resume workshops, a clothing bank, and more. Additionally, as part of their Resource Center, Pure Heart will be hosting a SMFBA SNAP Coordinator to assist their clients in applying for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Overall, Pure Heart accounts for their success and their passion because it comes down to “people helping people”. For the next year, they are excited to have their food distribution and resource center work together and collaborate more to better serve their community.

We would like to thank Pure Heart Church for their partnership with St. Mary’s Food Bank and look forward to continue serving the area with these valuable resources.

Is your organization doing something unique? Tell us about the work at your program and you might be featured in the next newsletter! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/D2S3Q77