$30,000 Award Will Help Increase Capacity, Storage While Eliminating Waste
WATERTOWN — A $30,000 Community Foundation grant is helping the Food Bank of Central New York expand its Interstate Island Road distribution center to more effectively help neighbors in need across the North Country and its 11-county service area.
In Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties, the Food Bank partners with 70 different food pantries, soup kitchens, backpack programs and other organizations to provide nutritious foods below cost. In turn, those organizations serve hundreds of North Country families, providing emergency food assistance to residents who couldn’t otherwise access nutritious foods.
The Community Foundation provides grant support annually to organizations that operate in partnership with the Food Bank.
According to the Food Bank, one in eight people in Northern and Central New York are classified as “food insecure.” Each dollar local food pantries and soup kitchens spend with the Food Bank can provide enough food for three meals.
The Food Bank is a longtime Community Foundation partner. In 2017, officials opened a North Country office on the third floor of the Northern New York Philanthropy Center. It also has a permanent endowment and charitable fund at the Community Foundation to support its work in the tri-county area.
“Each year, the Community Foundation and its donors help supply nearly every food program across Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties and each dollar goes further because of the efforts of the Food Bank of Central New York,” said Rande S. Richardson, Community Foundation executive director. “As has been true before, we feel this additional investment in the Food Bank’s capacity will benefit the residents of Northern New York in important ways and strengthen local food pantries for years to come.”
Once completed, the Food Bank’s warehouse expansion will allow it to store and distribute more than 1 million pounds of additional nonperishable foods. Weekly volunteer packing events will also increase from four to 10, enabling the Food Bank to distribute an additional 1,440 boxes to those in need per week.
The immediate impact of the expansion project will be an increase in the storage of nonperishable foods, a reduction in food waste, and increased capacity to offer programming focused on accommodating the dietary, cultural and health-related needs of individuals experiencing hunger.
Long-term, the expansion will impact the Food Bank’s ability to become a more effective and efficient partner, resulting in increased food security for community members across the region.
“We are thankful to the Northern New York Community Foundation for its recent support of our 34,000-square-foot expansion of our distribution center. Every day, thousands of pounds of nutritious food is distributed throughout our 11-county service area which includes Central New York, the Mohawk Valley, and the North Country,” Food Bank of Central New York Executive Director Karen Belcher said. “The decades-long partnership between our organizations has provided critical support of our work, and the work of our community partners, by helping to secure access to nutritious food.”
About The Food Bank of Central New York
The Food Bank of Central New York serves as the main food distribution hub for hundreds of partner agencies that comprise the emergency food network in an 11-county service region across Central and Northern New York. It provides more than 18.6 million pounds of food — the equivalent of 15.5 million meals — to hungry families, children, and elderly every year.
Established in 1985, the Food Bank of Central New York is considered one of the most efficient food banks in the country, using every dollar donated to help provide three meals to hungry families, children, and elderly. It is a proud member of Feeding America.
About the Northern New York Community Foundation
Since 1929, the Northern New York Community Foundation has invested in improving and enriching the quality of life for all in communities across Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties.
Through partnerships with businesses and organizations, charitable foundations, and generous families and individual donors, the Community Foundation awards grants and scholarships from an endowment and collection of funds that benefit the region. Its commitment to donors helps individuals achieve their charitable objectives now and for generations to come by preserving and honoring legacies of community philanthropy while inspiring others.
The Community Foundation is a resource for local charitable organizations, donors, professional advisors and nonprofit organizations. It also works to bring people together at its permanent home in the Northern New York Philanthropy Center to discuss challenges our communities face and find creative solutions that strengthen the region and make it a great place to live, work, and play.