While federal courts decided the U.S. Department of Agriculture must release contingency funds for those who receive food stamp benefits, the timing of when those funds will be released is still in question.

While those people wait to receive their funds, Valley food banks have stepped in to help bridge the gap.

And they are seeing the impact with increased requests, local officials say.

Jerry Brown, director of public relations for St. Mary’s Food Bank, says his organization has seen an increase in the number of people asking for help at their locations.

“Both our Phoenix and Surprise locations saw a 10%-15% increase over the previous few weeks — which was also a record,” Brown said. “Our Surprise location set an all-time, one-day record for that location with more than 1,000 families

See Full Page