Stories - AZPM

Yolanda Soto, CEO and President of Borderlands Food Bank, in her office in Nogales. The bright paintings on her walls were all done by an inmate who works for Borderlands as part of a labor force program. (She’s a big fan of Kahlo’s.)

Feeding Our Future: The Politics of Produce Rescue

They share the same goal of feeding the hungry, but sometimes food banks step on each other’s toes.

ll 17 Compost Cats are OSHA-Certified equipment operators. Clarisa Avalos says, “I’m having fun!” as she maneuvers the skip loader to turn a pile of wet compost.

Feeding Our Future: Turning Garbage into Gardens

How a group of UA undergraduates are saving the environment.

There are 400 wild, edible native foods in the Sonoran Desert. This food mandala is made from mesquite, ironwood, cholla cactus buds and cactus seeds.

Feeding Our Future: Harvesting the Desert

The answer to future food shortages may be right outside our doors.

A drum group performs at the 2013 Tucson Meet Yourself.

More to the City Than Meets the Eye at 'Tucson Meet Yourself'

Over 100,000 visitors expected for 43rd edition of the event featuring food, music and more.

The Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona serves five counties and covers 23,000 square miles.

Feeding Our Future: Shortening the Line

The Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona is trying new strategies to solve the root causes of hunger.

Sunlight reflects off of the water in a swimming pool.

Treated Water to Make Beer? Tucson Group Says 'Cheers!'

Pima County team fights stigma against reclaimed water; finalist for innovation distinction.

Students run the Manzo Market every two weeks, where they sell produce from their garden and eggs from the school’s chickens. Photo by Moses Thompson

Feeding Our Future: The Manzo Model for Growing a School Garden

In an age of shrinking education budgets, should school gardens be a line item?

Samantha Felix and Jesse Pablo run TOCA's Project Oidag, which means "garden." Click to listen to them describe their work teaching youth about traditional foods.

Feeding Our Future: Putting Native Foods Back on the Plate

Why did the Tohono O'odham stop eating and growing their Native foods?

Poverty Rate Falls in Arizona; 'Food Hardship' Continues

Food banks: 18.4% of Tucson families with children struggle to feed them.

The Debut of Feeding Our Future

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Arizona Theatre Company overcomes financial struggle to launch 50th season; Tucson's Chinese community hosts Lunar Festival; eButterfly uses crowd sourcing to help science.

Chef Cecy Arosemena (left) and Marisol Flores-Aguirre, director of the Women's Business Center of Southern Arizona. The WBC is housed at the YWCA and serves more than a thousand clients a year -- the majority are food entrepreneurs.

Feeding Our Future: Incubating Food Start-Ups in the City of Gastronomy

Independently owned food businesses are the largest-growing sector in Tucson’s economy, but launching a successful food business takes more than just a good recipe.