In Utah, food bank expands its reach

• Food bank serves remote areas of Utah
• About 700 families served per month

Utah's San Juan County is the definition of remote. It's located in the southeast corner of the state with only 14,746 people across an area of 7,933 square miles.

And like many areas of the country, an increasing number of those people face food shortages.

"We feed about 700 families per month and I don't think we've even scratched the surface," said Sandra Asbury, CEO of Transitions, which serves adults with disabilities throughout the county. "We're the only food bank service in San Juan County and that includes the Navajo and Ute reservations."

Until recently, Transitions received its food supplies from the Utah Food Bank based in Salt Lake City. Then in the spring of 2011 the Utah Food Bank opened a southern Utah branch in St. George to better serve remote areas like San Juan County.

"It has given us more to give out than we were able to get before," Asbury said. "It's increased the number of families we can serve."

Linda Trujillo, manager of the Utah Food Bank's Southern Branch in St. George, said the new branch has increased the efficiency of services to rural areas as well as providing products of better quality to those in need.

Previously trucks with produce from Arizona or California would pass through St. George on the way to the food bank in Salt Lake City, only to have the food bank turn around and deliver the produce back to southern Utah agencies for distribution.

Karen Sendelback, CEO of the Utah Food Bank, said the opening of the Southern Branch is a highlight of the food bank's mission to feed Utah. It has enabled the food bank to better serve residents of seven southern counties.

The new facility has increased deliveries to rural areas by 50 percent since it opened last year.

"Now we can get fresh foods to them in a more timely manner," she said.

Passey also reports for The Spectrum in St. George, Utah.