Serving Up Hope: How Prescott's Community Cupboard Feeds Body and Spirit

**Arizona Roundup** host Stuart Rosebrook welcomed Bud Heitman, board chairperson of the Prescott Community Cupboard Food Bank, to the Sharlot Hall Museum for a conversation that reminded listeners that generosity isn't just a holiday tradition—it's a way of life in Arizona. From Minnesota Winters to Arizona Sunshine Bud's journey to Prescott spanned Minnesota winters, Cajun kitchens in Louisiana, the neon lights of Las Vegas, and the bustle of Southern California. By 2020, he and his wife settled in Prescott, where he quickly found a calling. Retirement wasn't going to slow him down—especially once his wife hinted he "better find something to do." Volunteering became his new career path, and food banking became his mission. Feeding Neighbors, Not Statistics The Prescott Community Cupboard Food Bank may have started in a garage in 1973, but today it feeds more than 600 people each week—including nearly 3,000 children a month. That need might surprise folks who think of Prescott as comfortable cowboy country, but Heitman says food insecurity is real here, especially among the "working poor"—families with jobs who still can't make ends meet. Bud and Stuart remind listeners, Prescott has a long tradition of neighbors helping neighbors—going back to the days when Boy Scouts collected food on the plaza during Christmas tidings. That spirit is alive today, and every can of soup, every bag of groceries, and every volunteer hour keeps it strong. So saddle up, Prescott. Whether you drop off a bag of pasta, hand a check to the Cupboard, or roll up your sleeves to volunteer, you're not just feeding a family—you're feeding hope. And that's the kind of roundup worth joining.