New Equipment Expected by End of July Will Increase Capacity to Serve Clients in Need
LOWVILLE — The Lowville Food Pantry will soon be able to increase its capacity to serve clients thanks in part to $20,000 in Community Foundation grant support to purchase and install a new walk-in freezer at the Trinity Avenue facility.
As needs among the most vulnerable in the community increase, the Food Pantry has seen a steady uptick in the number of neighbors in need it serves, which often reaches several hundred clients a month.
The new 360-square-foot walk-in freezer will enable the pantry to focus on completing additional facility improvements while reducing food spoilage and improving client service by providing more quality foods to those it serves.
“We really appreciate partners like the Community Foundation,” Food Pantry Board President Mike Hanno said. “It’s nice to have strong local support for our mission that’s made possible by people who take time to visit our facility to know and understand our needs and how to support them.”
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The Community Foundation’s grant support includes $5,000 from the George R. Davis Fund for Lowville.
“This grant builds upon our long-standing commitment to helping supply and strengthen local food pantries and allow them to do more to support our neighbors in need,” said Rande S. Richardson, Community Foundation executive director.
Mr. Hanno said the walk-in freezer, itself a nearly $100,000 project, will also enable the pantry to end its reliance on several older, small chest freezers that are a bigger burden on the facility’s utility costs.
“An efficient walk-in freezer will increase our capacity for frozen foods well beyond what we can manage today,” he said. “The Community Foundation’s support really put us over the top and fully enabled this project to come to life.”
The freezer is expected to arrive by the end of the month with installation immediately following. Site preparation and utility work will commence next week.
The pantry is open weekdays and offers emergency services after hours and on weekends.
The pantry moved to its present location at 5502 Trinity Ave. in 2021 after it acquired the former QubicaAMF building in 2016. In October 2021, community members gathered to celebrate the grand opening of the pantry’s new expansion, a two-story, 3,600-square-foot red steel building.
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.