“I will get things done for America.”
So begins the AmeriCorps pledge — which continues, “to make our people safer, smarter, and healthier. I will bring Americans together to strengthen our communities.”
That’s all a lot harder to do now that the federal volunteer program has had its budget slashed by the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
In late April, DOGE announced about $400 million would be cut from the agency. About 90% of the agency’s workers have been laid off.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes joined two dozen states in suing the federal government, claiming that the cuts to the agency are unlawful. In a press release announcing Arizona joining the lawsuit, the attorney general’s office noted three AmeriCorps-funded programs in Arizona that address teacher shortages, elder care, and tutoring in math and reading for low-income students.
The effects on Southern Arizonan organizations that work with and rely on AmeriCorps are just starting to come into clarity. A couple Tucson organizations have, so far, dodged the massive downsizing.
Tucson Village Farm, which will host about two dozen AmeriCorps volunteers this summer escaped unscathed – for now. But the Arizona Food Bank Network, of which Tucson’s Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona is a part, lost two AmeriCorps workers.
Those cuts come at a time when more Arizonans than ever before in history are relying on food banks, according to Terri Shoemaker, the network’s executive vice president.
Shoemaker told Arizona Luminaria that more than 700,000 people a month are relying on food banks throughout the state. That’s a number higher than during the pandemic and about 10% higher than the same time last year, she said.
According to recent data published by Feeding America, in terms of overall number of people who are food insecure, Arizona ranks 13th compared with other states. When looking only at seniors, Arizona ranks 10th highest in food insecurity.
Shoemaker said that for the last seven years, Arizona food banks have relied on members of the AmeriCorps Vista program — which last year organized about 7,000 members throughout the country to provide staffing focused on addressing poverty and its repercussions. That support has been critical, especially for food banks just getting started.
“Many times when an agency like a food pantry wants to start up or wants to expand, they can’t afford a lot of staff people, so a program like AmeriCorp Vista is especially vital for solidifying their status as a nonprofit, so they can grow and be what they’re needed to be in the community,” Shoemaker said.
Now that the funding is cut, food banks will have to find another path forward.
“I would love AmeriCorps Vistas to be in food banks across the country,” Shoemaker said. “Any time there are cuts to food bank funding, a food bank’s job gets harder.” But Shoemaker wasn’t daunted, and said the food banks won’t be either.
“Food banks still find a way to do as much as they can for all the people that will need them,” Shoemaker said. “But any time things get harder, food banks struggle.”
Arizona’s volunteer brigade
AmeriCorps, founded in 1993, is a federal agency focused on public service and volunteerism. There are six different areas that the agency supports: disaster relief, economic opportunity, education, environmental stewardship, physical and mental health, and veteran affairs.
AmeriCorps’ budget in 2025 was around $1.3 billion.
In 2024, just over 4,800 people served with AmeriCorps in Arizona, investing more than $28 million of federal funding in communities across the state. According to a 2024 annual report, “AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers served at more than 500 locations across Arizona, including schools, food banks, homeless shelters, youth centers, veterans’ facilities, and other nonprofit and faith-based organizations.”
Food banks have a long history in Arizona. St. Mary’s Food Bank, close to central Phoenix, is considered by many to be the first food bank in the country.
Shoemaker said that every challenge that gets thrown in the way makes it tougher to feed the people who rely on St. Mary’s and the many other food banks throughout the state
Despite the challenges, Shoemaker said, “Food banks will find a way.”
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