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Our Projects
THE FOOD WAREHOUSE
The Food Warehouse is the
original project of Food Pantries for the Capital District. It is the
goal of the warehouse to have available for our pantries, basic food
items that are not available at a reduced cost from any other source.
INFANT NEEDS PROJECT
Ensures that the youngest of those we serve are fed and dry.
HOLIDAY MEALS PROGRAM
Helps local pantries provide special meals
during the holidays.
THE FOOD EXPRESS
The Food Express delivers food from the Regional Food Bank and
our warehouse to local pantries. Pantries share the use of a 15-foot
box truck for food delivery. The Express delivers to three
programs daily. Member pantries receive a calendar indicating
which days the truck will be delivering to them. Pantries place their
own orders and have volunteers available to unload the truck when it
arrives.
The project was started in 2000 because pantries have grown to the
extent that it has become difficult, if not impossible, for them to
transport enough food with volunteers and church vans. The cost
of vehicle ownership or rental for each program is prohibitive.
It is far more cost effective for the pantries to share the use of the
truck. Last year, the Express delivered 607 tons of food.
THE FOOD SHUTTLE:
Staff and volunteers pick up
'day-old’ bread, produce, and dairy products at local retailers and
deliver them to pantries. Food that is removed from store shelves in
the evening is on pantry shelves the next morning. In 2007, over
230,000 pounds of food were rescued.
FOOD AND FUND DRIVES
Our office coordinates Food and
Fund drives throughout the Capital District. Groups are provided with
information and guidelines for conducting a drive. For schools,
youth organizations, and any group collecting a large amount of food,
we will send a truck to pick up the donation. For smaller drives, we
will provide the group with contact information for the pantry nearest
their location.
(Food/Fund
Drive Brochure )
MEMBER SERVICES
We host
monthly meetings for our members. Information is shared about
other agencies serving the needy in our neighborhoods. We host an
annual in-service training, provide mentoring for new programs, and
assist with coordination of services through setting up service areas,
and boundaries. We provide technical support and data management
capability. We update and keep available listings of other
agencies in our service area and an emergency assistance guide for
those we serve.
Resource Guides Downloads
Food Pantries for the Capital
District publishes Resource Guides for Albany and Rennselaer
Counties. The guides are a great resource for invidiuals looking
for help in our area. Please visit our downloads page
to find the guides for both counties in Spanish & English.
We
collect both monthly and year end statistics from our member pantries.
Numbers are shared with the community, but specifically with
elected officials and the news media. The prevalence of hunger is
stressed in our brochures and in our correspondence with the community.
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