Life & Work with Tyson Nansel

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tyson Nansel.

Hi Tyson, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
United Food Bank’s history is deeply rooted in the East Valley and dates back to July of 1983 when it began operations as United Food Distribution Center, Inc. The Food Bank has grown to meet the increased need from people in our service area. Our service area of 19,608 square miles includes some of the most remote areas in the state. To serve the most people possible, United Food Bank collaborates with more than 200 partner agencies that operate more than 260 separate programs helping feed families, children and seniors. We are also a member food bank of Feeding America.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
In Arizona, 937,300 people are struggling with hunger – and of them 311,390 are children. One in five children struggles with hunger. The virus of hunger is affecting more people than ever before. I road hasn’t been always smooth, but the Arizona community believes in our mission and that’s why they consistently volunteer and donate to support our mission the fight against huger.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am the Vice President of External Affairs. I oversee anything external facing for the organization as well as fundraising. I specialize in public and media relations. From marketing, community outreach, managing the volunteer programs and communication, there is a lot that we do to protect our brand while showcasing our great work. I am known as the food bank guy on tv 🙂 I was told that recently from a five year old girl that saw our distribution on tv and she held her own food drive in her neighborhood, volunteered and wanted to meet me. I am most proud of the work we are doing during the COVID-19 pandemic. We had to make a lot of changes around safety as well as how we distribute food and the demand for food increased. We had a 25% increase in how much food we delivered in 2020 compared to 2019. We delivered more than 27 million pounds of food to the Arizona community. That is nearly 24 million meals. In any crisis to the economic environment, United Food Bank stands ready to meet the food demands to help alleviate the fear of hunger.

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
As we have seen over the past decade, food banks have played a pivotal part in providing a means of hope and life during times of crisis and economic struggle. Through the recession, government shutdowns or pandemic, the community has relied on food banks to get them through the hard times. When people lose their jobs or are on fixed incomes, they turn to us seeking food to put on their tables for their families while they pay off bills or other income expenses. We will continue to serve until we can solve the virus of hunger. Community engagement to solve hunger is also a key focus for United Food Bank. Volunteers are the life blood of the food bank, support systems through food drives and monetary donations help us continue to operate. We are very proud of the work we’ve done already on long term solutions… such as the SNAP outreach program and bringing more resources to children and families through school-based food pantries. The Food Bank’s commitment to working on long-term hunger solutions while continuing the amazing work we do every day is wide and deep. We have a lot of work to do, from our day-to-day efforts to get food in people’s hands… to solving hunger on a deeper level. The Food Bank needs your help… and knows we can count on the Arizona community to continue to support our efforts to help people in need.

Pricing:

• For every $1 donation, we can provide 5 meals.
• $10 equates to 50 meals

Contact Info:

• Email: tnansel@unitedfoodbank.org
• Website: unitedfoodbank.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unitedfoodbank/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnitedFoodBank
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/UnitedFoodBank
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ4bMvIMM6ECyFp9rg0g3IA

Image Credits
United Food Bank