Feeding a Growing County: Expanding Mobile Food Pantry Access for Households With Children in Maricopa County, Arizona

Maricopa County, Arizona is the fourth largest county by land in the United States and is one of the fastest growing counties. The food insecurity rate of Maricopa County is 13.2%, the lowest among all 15 counties in Arizona, yet the built environment plays a critical role in shaping access to fresh and nutritious food. Rapid growth and development do not eliminate barriers to nutritious food access for many households with children. Expanding mobile food pantry services in food deserts is one strategy to improve nutrition access and reduce food insecurity. This approach focuses on expanding mobile food pantry services in underserved food deserts through local organization partnerships and targeted mobile food pantry deployment. A pre-post design will assess whether expanded mobile food pantry access reduces food insecurity among households with children. Findings may inform local policy and strengthen efforts to reduce food insecurity in Maricopa County.