"Stop putting us through this": The Tucson community copes with the food insecurity crisis.

AZPM

Published November 6, 2025 at 9:27 AM MST

Spotlight Food Bank 3 — A volunteer prepares carts at the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona on Oct. 30.

nimoy shatner mad spotlight — Co-stars and friends William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy check out an issue of Mad Magazine that featured a parody of Star Trek called "Star Blecch!".

"Stop putting us through this": The Tucson community copes with the food insecurity crisis.

Featured on the November 6th, 2025 edition of ARIZONA SPOTLIGHT with host Mark McLemore:

Laura Holanszky reports on the fatal hit-and-run accident that took the lives of three University of Arizona students.

student memorial site 1 — Flowers, candles, and photos at the memorial site of the three UA students on Nov. 3, 2025.

student memorial body — A picture of KAMP Student Radio general manager Sophia Troetel surrounded by flowers at the memorial site on Nov. 3, 2025.

student memorial body 3 — Chalk messages next to the crosswalk on North Euclid Avenue and East Second Street on Nov. 3, 2025.

How are Southern Arizonans coping with the dynamic changes coming to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program? Noor Haghighi and L.M. Boyd look at the increased demand on the Community Food Bank and other sources of assistance, and what is being done locally in an attempt to remedy this food insecurity crisis.

Food Bank Volunteer — Joshua Castle volunteers at the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona on Oct. 30.

Natalie Jayroe at desk food bank — Natalie Jayroe, CEO of Community Food Bank in Southern Arizona, prepares for a possible surge of people in need of groceries on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025.

Spotlight Food Bank — A volunteer hands off a shopping cart at the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona on Oct. 30.

Spotlight Food Bank 2 — A volunteer offers produce to a person at the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona on Oct. 30.

The legendary William Shatner returns to Tucson, bringing with him a new look at Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Lifelong Star Trek fan Mark McLemore talks with with him about returning to Tucson, ecology, and his real-life visit to outer space. William Shatner presents the film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, plus a conversation with the audience, at the Fox Tucson Theatre on Wednesday, November 12th at 7:30 pm.

And remembering actor Diane Ladd. Listen to an excerpt from a 2015 interview for Arizona Spotlight in which she shares nostalgia for time she spent in Tucson making the movie Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, and her pride for her daughter Laura Dern.

alice doesnt live here anymore sunbathing spotlight

Arizona Spotlight airs every Thursday at 8:30 am and 6:00 pm and every Friday at 8:00 pm on NPR 89.1 FM / 1550 AM. You can subscribe to our podcast on Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, or the NPR App. See more from Arizona Spotlight.

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"Stop putting us through this": The Tucson community copes with the food insecurity crisis.