Nourish Phoenix (NourishPHX), a trusted community hub serving low-income individuals and families based in Phoenix, has been named a recipient of the Thunderbird Charities Fall 2023 Grant. NourishPHX has received $150,000 to support the installation of an elevator in its 20,000 square foot facility.
The elevator will provide ADA accessibility to the second floor of the NourishPHX facility – approximately 10,000 square feet of warehouse space that will be turned into classrooms, doubling the program and partner capacity for the community.
The nonprofit currently serves between 150-200 families daily and has more than 800 program participants annually. The current classroom space seats just 20 people and has become too small to accommodate the growing number of program participants.
“This capacity-building project allows us to immediately relocate our classroom to the much larger boardroom upstairs, thus significantly increasing our program and partner capacity for our community,” said Beth Fiorenza, executive director of NourishPHX. “While most food pantries measure their outcomes in terms of pounds of food or clothing, our mission includes tracking the number of people who find social connections, economic relief and emotional support through our programs and services.”
Over the past several years, NourishPHX has transitioned from a transactional food and clothing pantry into a hub of community resources with the goal of bringing economic independence to its clients.
NourishPHX is partnered with more than 30 organizations that help offer new programs and peripheral services like haircuts, veterinary care, financial education, cultural connections, cell phones, vaccines and health screenings – all free and all on-site.
Thunderbirds Charities support organizations that assist children and families, help people in need and improve the quality of life in the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area. The organization’s giving is directed toward organizations based or with a significant presence in Arizona.
The impact of this project is far reaching and will be tracked by the activities NourishPHX is able to host, the number of people served, and ultimately the number of those who become economically secure. Because the elevator is a one-time capital project, sustainability will be immediately realized upon completion. The project is expected to be completed in the Spring of 2024.
This grant is part of the Fall 2023 cycle. View a list of all Recent Grantees.