Community Food Access and Nutrition Programs
Local First Arizona is strengthening Arizona’s local food system by expanding access to healthy, culturally relevant food and empowering families with the knowledge and confidence to make nourishing choices. Through our Community Kitchens, we operate a range of food access and nutrition programs — including choice food pantries, cooking and nutrition education, youth food literacy and food rescue partnerships — each tailored to the needs of the communities we serve.
While our Community Kitchens are known for incubating small food businesses, they also serve as critical neighborhood hubs for food access, education and community well-being. These programs are rooted in partnership, dignity and long-term impact, ensuring families have food on the table, as well as the tools to build healthier futures.
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“Our Community Kitchens show what’s possible when food access, education and opportunity are designed together — creating a more sustainable, livable future that is inclusive, creative and alive with hope.”
Local First Community Kitchens by Location
Local First Community Kitchen — Mesa
Since 2018, Local First Arizona’s Community Kitchen in Mesa has supported residents of El Rancho del Sol affordable housing community through integrated food access and nutrition education programming.
Developed and owned by Community Development Partners and operated by MEB Management Services, El Rancho del Sol is home to 113 households, with approximately 80% of families in residence living below the poverty line. The community faces significant barriers to food access. The nearest grocery store is a 20-minute walk, while nearby options are primarily fast-food restaurants and a liquor store selling highly processed foods. Extreme summer heat further limits residents’ ability to travel for groceries.
Our work at the Community Kitchen in Mesa focuses on improving food literacy, increasing access to fresh and healthy foods and empowering families to make informed food choices that support long-term health.
Choice Food Pantry (Bi-monthly)
Since 2020, Local First Arizona has facilitated a bi-monthly choice food pantry at El Rancho del Sol.
The pantry provides supplemental and often primary groceries for participating households, allowing residents to select foods that meet their cultural preferences, dietary needs and household sizes.
In addition to food distribution, our team shares practical guidance on preparing pantry items, particularly local produce, fruits, beans and heirloom grains, helping families build confidence in the kitchen and stretch food resources further.
Community Garden
Residents at El Rancho del Sol grow fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers year-round in an on-site community garden.
The garden supports:
Resident-led food production
Gardening education and seasonal workshops
Volunteer opportunities and community cleanups
Food grown in nonresident garden beds is incorporated into the choice food pantry and kids nutrition programming, closing the loop between growing, cooking and eating.
Family Food Education: Cooking Club
Children and families at El Rancho del Sol experience food insecurity at a rate of approximately 85% property-wide. The population served is predominantly Latino and Hispanic, and as of 2026 the program focuses on children ages 8–12.
Our Cooking Club uses evidence-based, trauma-informed teaching methods to introduce children to healthy, affordable foods in a welcoming and empowering environment. Classes are designed to broaden palates, build confidence and encourage curiosity around food, turning kids into ambassadors for healthier choices within their own households.
Program outcomes include increased comfort in the kitchen, improved food literacy and greater willingness to try fresh fruits, vegetables and whole foods.
Adult Food Education: Cooking Club
Launched in 2026, our Adult Cooking Club offers residents (ages 16+) at El Rancho Del Sol the opportunity to learn basic culinary skills and nutrition education rooted in food as medicine. Classes are designed to teach residents recipes that can then be replicated in their own home kitchens with take-home kits. Providing healthy, delicious and culturally relevant meals can help reduce chronic disease in the community and reduce stress around mealtime preparation.
2025 Impact (Mesa)
527 households served (average of 44/month)
1,875 individuals reached
17,352 total pounds of food distributed
6,331 pounds of fresh produce
8,263 pounds rescued through grocery store recovery
2025 Impact (Mesa)
83 children served
11 classes held
Average of 7 to 8 children per class
Local First Community Kitchen — Glendale
At Centerline on Glendale, an affordable housing community serving individuals and families earning 80% or less of the area median income, Local First Arizona delivers food access and nutrition education programming tailored to resident needs. Approximately 30% of residents are children, ranging from birth to age 16.
Centerline on Glendale was developed by Gorman & Company as part of a model that intentionally pairs affordable housing with community-based economic opportunity — including on-site spaces that support health, education and entrepreneurship.
While grocery stores are geographically nearby, many residents face transportation and mobility barriers. Our programming ensures families can access healthy, adequate and familiar food choices, paired with education that builds confidence and independence.
Family Food Education: Cooking Club
Our family-friendly nutrition classes introduce both familiar and new ingredients through hands-on exploration. Adults and children are encouraged to use all five senses — sight, sound, touch, taste and smell — to engage with food in a positive way. Our five-week family classes are offered in the spring and winter.
Local First Community Kitchen — Garfield (Coming Soon)
Opening soon at the Edison Impact Hub in Phoenix’s Edison-Eastlake community, the Local First Community Kitchen in Garfield will expand access to food entrepreneurship, nutrition education and community-based programming for residents and food businesses across the area.
Choice Food Pantry
Local First Arizona has begun offering choice food pantry distributions at the Glendale Community Kitchen to meet immediate food access needs. Launched as a pilot, the program is already seeing strong participation and is designed to grow in response to resident needs and partner support.
Built Through Partnership
Local First Arizona staff hold leadership positions in food policy groups and networks across the state in order to influence policy, strengthen our local food system and increase awareness of Arizona’s food production.
Local First Arizona’s Community Kitchens are made possible through long-term partnerships with affordable housing developers, community organizations and funders who recognize that food access, education and economic opportunity are foundational to community stability.
By embedding food access and nutrition education directly within affordable housing communities, these partnerships help create an ecosystem where families can access healthy food, build skills and strengthen well-being — without additional transportation or financial barriers.
Community Kitchen partners include:
Glendale: Gorman & Company (Centerline on Glendale)
Mesa: Community Development Partners, with on-site operations by MEB Management Services (El Rancho del Sol)
Garfield: City of Phoenix Housing Department (Edison Impact Hub, opening soon)
Powered by Partnership
Local First Arizona’s food access and nutrition programs are strengthened by a diverse network of partners who support food purchasing, education, infrastructure and environmental sustainability across our Community Kitchens and gardens. Together, these partnerships help create consistent, high-quality programming that responds to local needs while strengthening Arizona’s food system as a whole.
Making Nutrition Education Possible
Partners support hands-on cooking and nutrition education that helps children and families build lifelong healthy habits.
Support for nutrition and youth education has included partnerships with organizations such as Sprouts Foundation, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, BHHS Legacy Foundation, Novo Nordisk Foundation, Arizona Culinary Supplies and Cultural Coalition.
Keeping Food Accessible
Choice food pantries and food rescue partnerships ensure families can access fresh, nourishing food while supporting Arizona’s local food economy.
Food access programs are supported through partnerships with United Food Bank, Waste Not Arizona, St. Mary’s Food Bank and the Arizona Food Bank Network, with additional resources directed toward local food purchasing whenever possible.
Learn about the Feed Phoenix Initiative, acollaborative project between Local First Arizona and City of Phoenix from August 2020 to January 2023 that provided nutritious meals to people impacted by COVID-19 and food insecurity in Phoenix.
Connecting Growing, Cooking and Learning
On-site community gardens provide residents with opportunities to grow fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers while learning desert-adapted gardening skills. Garden programs also serve as a direct link between growing, cooking and eating — with produce incorporated into nutrition classes and food pantry distributions.
Garden education and stewardship are powered by program partners ABC Mobile Education Center and Arizona Worm Farm, with generous philanthropic support from Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation and The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation.
Reducing Waste and Strengthening Sustainability
Across all Community Kitchens in the Valley, Local First Arizona works to reduce food waste and strengthen circular food systems. Through composting and waste diversion partnerships, surplus food and organic materials are redirected from landfills to support local gardens and farms.
Environmental sustainability efforts are supported in partnership with Recycled City.
Investing in Community Food Access
Local First Arizona’s food access and nutrition programs are supported by a network of philanthropic, corporate and community partners who invest in food purchasing, education, infrastructure and program operations across our Community Kitchens and gardens.
By supporting Local First Arizona’s food access programs, partners and funders help:
Improve food security for families across Arizona
Increase food literacy and confidence in healthy food choices
Reduce food waste and environmental impact
Strengthen local food systems and community resilience
Together, we are building a healthier, more equitable and more connected Arizona — one kitchen, one family and one partnership at a time.
Interested in supporting food access, nutrition education or community gardens through Local First Arizona? Your investment directly supports on-the-ground programming at our Community Kitchens.