POCATELLO - Artists play a key role in the economic viability of the Gate City, said Mayor Roger Chase on Thursday.

Chase spoke about the economic role of artists during the annual Mayor's Awards for the Arts, hosted at the new Pocatello offices of the Idaho Foodbank. The mayor initiated the awards in 2002, and Thursday's event was the seventh time the awards have been held.

"One of the reasons we recognize the arts is we don't often realize how important they are to the economy," Chase said. "They not only soothe the soul, but they make it a better community to live in."

He said a thriving artistic community makes Pocatello more attractive to those considering the Gate City as a location for their business.

The evening was also a chance for the Idaho Foodbank, now located at 555 S. First Avenue, to show off its new facility and raise some funds. Most of the funds raised Thursday were through the sales of donated art and a silent auction.

"We're also hoping people will decide to give donations tonight," Chase said. "It's really a great organization. The Idaho Foodbank is one of the two most efficient charities in the state."

Roy Lacey, vice president of operations for the Idaho Foodbank, addressed the audience of roughly 200 people, telling them the new facility has been a dream of his for about seven years.

He said nearly $1 million was raised in cash and in-kind donations to make the new facility happen.

"We have been working on it for about three years," Lacey said of the fundraising efforts to bring the building to fruition. "As I look around this beautiful building, I am humbled."

Lacey thanked the community for its generosity and said the Idaho Foodbank has a "basic job" that is continuing to expand with the declining economy.

"We provide people with food," he said. "The new face of hunger will be the man in the business suit. As the economy gets worse, the middle class is going to need our help."

Lacey's comments came shortly after Chase handed out the awards to the 2008 winners, which included J.D. Adcox and Linda Wolfe in the individual categories and the Pocatello Rotary Club and Walrus & Carpenter Books in the corporate categories.

Winners of the awards are nominated by members of the community. Because of that, Chase said the number of awards given annually can vary.

"This year, for example, we didn't give out a lifetime achievement award," he said. "No one was nominated."