Project Rising Hope rises to occasion during pandemic crisis

Volunteers and National Guardsmen load vehicles with food at the Project Rising Hope food distributions on Tuesday. VVN/Vyto Starinskas

Volunteers and National Guardsmen load vehicles with food at the Project Rising Hope food distributions on Tuesday. VVN/Vyto Starinskas

COTTONWOOD - As they are faced with a need for food of pandemic proportions, Project Rising Hope is rising to the occasion.

They have even called in the National Guard.

Project Rising Hope has grown from distributing free food to 375 families each week prior to the pandemic to 611 families last Tuesday, according to their new Executive Director Stacey Hayden.

“PRH has seen an increase of almost 70% in the number of families requesting food weekly in the past month,” Hayden said.

The number of families climbs every week, she said. “We took application information for 400 new families.”

The Journey Church on Mingus Avenue started PRH on April 10, 2012 as a small food pantry and it has evolved into the non-profit organization distributing food from inside the church hall.

But now with the pandemic, they have switched to a drive-thru system, and the long lines of vehicles can be seen growing from Mingus Avenue every Tuesday. Hundreds of people have been laid off, furloughed or fired in the Verde Valley recently.

“We have approximately 20 volunteers spread out in stations involved in preparing the items for packing and then packing the boxes. We have been blessed to have eight guardsmen from the National Guard each week in March. This was the third week. It has been a different crew each time but each team has been incredible,” Hayden said.

“We changed from an indoor-shopping model to a drive-thru delivery system on March 17th to provide food safely to our neighbors,” she said.

Hayden said 600 families are among the approximately 1,500 people who are getting food.

A number of the dedicated PRH volunteers have chosen to protect themselves by staying home, but many new volunteers have pitched in, she said.

Financial contributions can be made online or mailed to Project Rising Hope, 750 E. Mingus Ave. Cottonwood, 86326. Donations of non-perishable food can be left in the drop-box at their location. Project Rising Hope is giving out food from noon to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays.


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