Financial donations increased in this year's Feed Utah food drive

SALT LAKE CITY — The annual Feed Utah food drive took place earlier this month and, following a trend from the last couple years, the food drive saw a significant increase in financial donations compared to last year.

But that's a good thing because the demand and need for help for those in need is on the rise as well.

The food drive, conducted March 15 through the Utah Food Bank, included donations from all 29 counties in Utah.

"The great thing about a food drive like Feed Utah is it gives everyone in the state an opportunity to participate in the fight against hunger," said Utah Food Bank President and CEO Ginnette Bott.

The food bank has not received totals for donations from all across the state yet, but Bott said that from the numbers she has seen so far there was a small increase in food donations from last year.

Bott said another trend of fewer physical food donations and more monetary donations continued again in 2025.

According to Bott, there was a huge increase in the number of financial donations this year, which she said is helpful because it allows the food bank to buy extra product if needed and pay for delivering the food.

The need for food for those struggling from hunger is alarmingly high right now, Bott added.

"There are areas of our state that are really seeing an increased number of people coming to the pantries, and the numbers are higher in some of the areas, even higher than they were in COVID and some other areas, they're coming down. So, to say that it's evened out isn't really true," she added.

What is the Feed Utah Food Drive?

This year marked the fourth annual Feed Utah food drive. For 33 years, the food bank did an annual food drive in partnership with the Boy Scouts of America. But after that organization changed, the food bank had to change its approach.

"What we try to reinforce is that Feed Utah is a concentrated effort on one day for all of us to come together for all of our 29 counties," Bott said.

During the drive, thousands of volunteers across the state drove around neighborhoods to pick up bags of food people had left on their porch. Utahns could also drop off their donations at fixed locations.

Bott said the food drive serves multiple purposes, one being to spread awareness.

"I always say education and awareness are two most powerful tools. People need to see us doing something, and we need to be educating them about the problem of hunger, and this kind of a food drive allows us to do that," Bott added.

Another benefit of the food drive is it adds more variety to the type of food available to those in need.

She said the food drive requires months of planning, which includes coordinating drop-off points and trucks to deliver donated food as well as gathering volunteers.

"The day goes quickly and it's a successful day, but it certainly takes a lot of preparation to be ready for that day," Bott said.

What is the Utah Food Bank?

The Utah Food Bank is the state's partner with Feeding America, which has over 200 food banks across the country. The food bank covers the entirety of Utah, serving people in all 29 counties and working with around 275 partner agencies.

"So think of us as the wholesaler," Bott said. "The food and the product comes to us, we distribute it to the pantry, the pantry then distributes it to the end user."

Bott added that it is all done free of charge. The pantries don't pay for the food from the food bank, and those who receive the food don't pay the pantries.

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