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Community Foundation Grant Supports Expansion at Food
Bank Distribution Center
Published: June 16, 2024 at
11:00 a.m.
By: Press Release from NNY Community Foundation
Community Foundation Grant Supports Expansion at Food
Bank Distribution Center
$30,000 Award Will Help Increase Capacity, Storage
While Eliminating Waste
From left to right: Michelle Jeican,
Community Foundation Finance Coordinator, Patti Waldner,
Food Bank of Central New York Agency Relations
Coordinator, and Molly Johnson,
Food Bank of
Central New York Outreach Coordinator. Patti and Molly are based in the
Northern New York Philanthropy Center in Watertown.
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.
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