Find our most frequently asked questions below. If you cannot find the answer to your question, please contact our office at 928-526-2211 or email us at admin@hotfood.org.
Food Assistance
Anyone needing food assistance can come as often as necessary to receive a food box. We do not require a photo ID, proof of residency, or income verification for individuals to receive a food box. We distribute food with a self-declaration of need. If you tell us you need food, we believe you. Various restrictions apply to certain USDA programs.
To receive food, you’ll need to bring some form of ID. An ID can speed up the intake process, but is not required. All income and AZ address requirements are verbally verified. If you are picking up food for someone else, please bring a finished EFB Form with the Proxy section completed.
The Flagstaff Family Food Center operates at several locations, and hours vary by service.
- Administrative Office: Monday–Friday from 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
- Warehouse Food Distribution: Tuesday–Saturday, 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
- Kitchen: To-go lunch served daily from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM; Dinner served daily from 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM (dine-in and to-go options available)
- Neighborhood Distributions: Held at various times and locations Tuesday–Saturday. Visit our Find Food Now page for the current schedule.
Everyone is welcome to receive food from our food bank. Some government-funded programs require a quick verbal confirmation of income and state residency, but we also offer food through local donations that are available to anyone—no proof of eligibility required. No one will be turned away due to income or residency. Our goal is to make sure everyone who needs food can get it.
Unfortunately, we do not know what to expect for dinner. The dinner menu depends on food available, and is unpredictable. You may learn more about our dinner service and Kitchen by clicking here.
Our team offers assistance with SNAP, Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), and other local Arizona services. Contact our Director of Community Impact at clientsupport@hotfood.org or call/text 928-890-4348. You can also use Calendly to schedule a one-on-one meeting for assistance with these resources.
To learn more about these resources, click here.
If you need further immediate assistance with Arizona services, we invite you to Just Ask Mia!
Those who do not feel comfortable showing a photo ID or providing personal information may receive donated food products, but not government commodities. Government commodity programs are designed to serve Arizona residents only and require proof of residency and identification. We will do our best to still provide you with what is available! To learn more about your rights to privacy and FFFC’s commitment to keeping your personal information safe, please click here.
“Expiration dates” can be confusing and lead to throwing away perfectly good food. The best indicators of whether food is safe to eat or truly expired are your own senses of sight, touch, smell, & taste.
You may also explore the FoodKeeper website to search by category for the freshness and consumption of various products. It was developed by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, with Cornell University and the Food Marketing Institute. It is also available as a mobile application for Android and Apple. Learn more about the FoodKeeper App on their website.
Have additional questions about food product dating, expiration dates, and expired foods? Learn more on the USDA website or read our Food Safety Dates info sheet.
You can visit and receive groceries as often as you need to, but not more than once per day per distribution location.
For updates on our job openings, please click here to view hiring opportunities with Flagstaff Family Food Center.
Our food boxes are made from community donations and can include a variety of items like fresh produce, pantry staples, or frozen foods. These don’t have any eligibility requirements. Government commodity boxes such as TEFAP/EFB/St. Mary’s, come from federal programs, contain standardized shelf-stable items, and may have income or household eligibility rules.
Donors
We gladly accept all unopened, non-expired food items in their original packaging. Please check that your food donations are still within their “best by,” “sell by,” or “use by” dates.
Donations can be dropped off Monday through Friday, between 8:00 AM and 3:00 PM at our Warehouse (3805 E Huntington Dr). For large amounts of donations, please drive to the back of the building, past the loading docks, and enter through the marked door. A staff member will be happy to help you unload your donations.
If you prefer, you can also bring food donations to our front office reception area during those same hours. For safety reasons, we are unable to accept home-cooked, refrigerated, or frozen foods.
Thank you for supporting Flagstaff Family Food Center! Your generosity helps us provide meals and resources to families in need. There are several ways to make a donation.
- You can make a monetary donation in person at our Warehouse front office (by cash or check);
- By mail to:
- Flagstaff Family Food Center
PO Box P
Flagstaff, AZ 86002
- Flagstaff Family Food Center
- Call us at 928-526-2211;
- Or donate online through our secure donation platform.
There are many ways to give and make a difference in our community — visit our Ways to Give page to explore your options. If you’d like help making a donation, please don’t hesitate to contact our team.
Please make checks payable to Flagstaff Family Food Center. Physical check donations can be mailed to:
Flagstaff Family Food Center
PO Box P
Flagstaff, AZ 86002
Yes! The Flagstaff Family Food Center is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and your monetary or in-kind donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. After making a donation, you’ll receive a receipt for your records. Our Tax ID number is 86-0754044.
Unfortunately, we cannot accept leftover food that has been cooked or requires refrigeration. However, we can accept non-perishable and unopened items. To learn more about food donations, please click here.
Volunteers
Thank you for your interest in serving your community! We quite literally cannot operate without help from volunteers. You may visit our volunteer page for more information or to sign up for a volunteer shift online. For any questions, please contact our Volunteer Manager, Yeshua Brooks at volunteer@hotfood.org or 928-890-8386.
Yes, there are age requirements listed with each shift. 10 years old is the youngest an individual is allowed to volunteer, unless stated otherwise by a manager or higher. Volunteers 15 years old and younger must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. There are no exceptions to our age requirement policy.
Flagstaff Family Food Center is honored to receive frequent requests to meet from students, media personnel, community members, and partners. We deeply appreciate your interest in our mission and the work we do to serve our community. Help us accommodate as many requests as possible while ensuring our team can continue their vital daily operations. We kindly ask you to complete this form and a team member will contact you for next steps.
Host a Food Drive
We are always in need of non-perishable food donations to help families stock their shelves with food staples. To schedule a food drive, please fill out and submit a Food Drive Application. You can also access our Food Drive Toolkit for more information about hosting a food drive.
Food donations that are inedible by humans is provided to local farms and ranches to be used as compost or animal feed. Little goes to waste! To learn more about our commitment to eliminating waste, click here to discover our Farm Food and Kitchen Composting Program.
