Wells Fargo today announced that as part of its nationwide food drive campaign that began right after Thanksgiving, its mobile Food Bank will be making several stops in the Valley of the Sun to make it more convenient for those who want to help feed the hungry.

On Nov. 28, #Giving Tuesday, Wells Fargo announced the launch of its Holiday Food Bank program to make more meals possible in communities this holiday season and beyond. The company is currently collecting non-perishable foods in donation bins at all of its 241 retail banking locations in Arizona and at 5,900 branches nationwide.

While these collection bins will remain in branches through the end of the year, a “pop up” food bank is traveling the country and stopping in 17 key cities, including Phoenix. The first stop here will be Dec. 20-22 at the Phoenix Zoo’s “Zoo Lights” event.  The mobile food bank will also be stopping at the following:

  • Dec. 23, CitySkate at One East Washington St., Phoenix.
  • Dec. 27-29, Illumination – Symphony of Light at 27701 N. Black Canyon Highway, Phoenix.

In November, Wells Fargo conducted a survey about food bank support and holiday donations. It found that 83 percent of Americans were more likely to donate food this holiday season if they could do it at a convenient location in their local community.

All of the food collected will go to United Way Worldwide to create a long-term, high impact programs that support hunger-related causes in our local communities.

In Phoenix, the food will be delivered to the St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance and United Food Bank.  In Tucson, the food will help to stock the pantries of the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona. The food will also be shared with the Flagstaff Family Food Center, the Kingman Area Food Bank, the Yavapai Food Bank and the Yuma Community Food Bank.

Wells Fargo has also provided an additional $5 million grant to the United Way to increase its capacity to support hunger-related causes through the holidays and beyond. Additionally, the company has committed to volunteering 5,000 hours during the campaign and has encouraged Wells Fargo team members to support food-based nonprofit organizations in their local communities throughout the holiday season. The company offers eligible team members 16 hours of paid community service time annually.