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Capital District food pantries hit by rising food, fuel prices

Food Pantries’ Executive Director Natasha Pernicka at the St. Vincent de Paul Pantry on Albany's Madison Avenue, December 14, 2022
Dave Lucas
/
WAMC
Food Pantries’ Executive Director Natasha Pernicka at the St. Vincent de Paul Pantry on Albany's Madison Avenue, December 14, 2022

The Food Pantries of the Capital District are looking for additional year-end support to keep their shelves stocked.

Since the onset of the pandemic, food pantries have endured rising demand for groceries. Food Pantries’ Executive Director Natasha Pernicka says 83% of food pantries in the 70-organization coalition are seeing an increase in service levels.

“If you would like to help your specific neighborhood food pantry, we have a food pantry map on our website, you can find the food pantries that exist in your own neighborhood," said Pernicka.

Pernicka says gasoline expenses related to food acquisition and delivery have doubled from $13,000 in 2021 to more than $26,000 so far this year.

Individuals and organizations wishing to support the pantries' "Above and Beyond" year-end campaign can follow this link.

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.
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