Yuma real estate office launches protein drive for food bank

Protein has been the hardest shelf to keep full at the Yuma Community Food Bank, where cost and shelf life make it tougher to stock than grains or canned vegetables. Keller Williams Realty Yuma responded with 10 Days of Protein, a drive aimed at getting canned tuna, canned chicken, beans and peanut butter into family food boxes. Donations are being accepted at 2553 East 24th Street in Yuma through June 29, and organizers are handing out raffle tickets for each protein item donated.

The campaign is built around a practical inventory need. Food bank controller Johanna S. Calderon said protein is expensive to buy and also has shelf-life limitations, making it especially difficult to keep in large quantities. That matters because protein is one of the most valuable parts of a balanced food parcel for families trying to stretch grocery budgets, especially during the summer when household food costs can climb.

The Yuma Community Food Bank says it has served Yuma and Southwestern Arizona for 48 years, distributed 10 million pounds of food and feeds about 20,000 people each month. Each food box contains about one week’s worth of non-perishable food, plus as much fresh food as is available. When donations skew toward shelf-stable grains and canned vegetables, protein can fall behind, leaving the food bank with less flexibility to build fuller, more nutritious boxes.

The drive also reflects an ongoing connection between the real estate office and the nonprofit. In May, Keller Williams Realty of Yuma employees volunteered at the food bank as part of Red Day, an earlier effort that showed the office was already working alongside the agency before the protein campaign began. Keller Williams Realty Yuma is independently owned and operated, and its office is located at 2553 E. 24th St. in Yuma.

The need is part of a larger countywide picture. KYMA reported in 2024 that 33,000 people in Yuma and La Paz counties, including 14,730 children, experienced food insecurity. Against that backdrop, a targeted drive for a hard-to-donate item like protein can have outsized value, helping the food bank keep a critical part of its supply chain steady and making sure local families receive boxes with more than just the basics.