On Wednesday, September 2, the Food Bank truck bays transformed into a stage of advocacy as the Food Bank welcomed Senator Kirsten Gillibrand as she proposed the extension of Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) through the end of the school year. P-EBT is a federal program that...
Behind each emergency food box, food distribution, and pantry is a team of 15 Food Bank employees that manage all Warehouse activities at the Food Bank of the Southern Tier. This is no easy feat, especially during a pandemic. Before March 15, it was not uncommon for a...
From Natasha R. Thompson,President & CEO of the Food Bank of the Southern Tier This surely has been a year for the books! So much of our world has changed as we were challenged by the onset of the pandemic. Over the year, we have become increasingly aware of how...
Dear Friends, The Food Bank of the Southern Tier’s priority during the COVID-19 pandemic is to continue to provide emergency food assistance for our region, which is currently experiencing a 14 percent increase in demand for our services. In accordance with the...
The Food Bank of the Southern Tier strongly supports the 15 percent benefit increase in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) included in the updated HEROES Act recently introduced in the House of Representatives. Since March, the Food Bank of the Southern...
Dear Friends, Since March, the Food Bank team has worked with many of our local partners to make sure our neighbors in need have access to food resources during this unprecedented time. Our main priority is to continue to safely distribute food to our community. To do...
When COVID-19 hit New York State and closures began to take place, the Food Bank of the Southern Tier was no longer able to safely host traditional Mobile Food Pantries (MFPs), where up to 150 households are served by standing in line to receive grocery items. In...
Mask in place, Jim Luoma makes his way into the Enfield Food Pantry to a chorus of volunteers’ cheery greetings. His blue eyes crinkle and you can imagine the smile under his mask. “I don’t need a lot of dry goods. I have a lot already. Save that for someone who needs...
From Natasha R. Thompson,President & CEO of the Food Bank of the Southern Tier Despite all the uncertainty and change that we’ve had to endure over the past several months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have witnessed countless examples of resilience,...
Darlene and David Bachman were just about ready to retire from food pantry volunteer service to spend time with grandchildren, camp, and pursue retirement jobs. And then, the world changed. The COVID-19 pandemic hit New York state and put the Bachman’s plans on hold....