The Regional Food Bank is preparing for its largest Thanksgiving meal service program yet. .
A change is coming to the Capital Region’s holiday food scene.
After Equinox, a domestic violence outreach service, shifted its focus from its Annual Thanksgiving Community Dinner, the Regional Food Bank and dozens of sponsors are stepping in to fill the gap to serve the food insecure.
Tom Nardacci, CEO of the Regional Food Bank, says the initiative will provide 150,000 meals across six Capital Region counties in November.
“What you're looking at on the table these three bags, 55 pounds of food is going to be distributed to every person that comes through one of our distribution sites, because we know that Thanksgiving hunger doesn't end at you know, at 6 o'clock Thanksgiving evening, you sit down, watch football,” Nardacci said. “We know that people are going to go through hunger the next day, the following weekend.”
Nardacci says more than 30,000 people from Albany, Rensselaer, Schenectady, Saratoga, Columbia, and Greene Counties will benefit from meals on November 23rd alone.
“The need is as high as ever. Why is the need as high as ever? So, our growth during the pandemic shot through the roof. Right,” Nardacci said. “Went from 35 million pounds of food a year to 55 million pounds overnight. Pounds overnight, and it never trailed off. We thought it would go up and then it would come down, just like everyone thought that, well, we'd have a bad couple months and we'll get back to business. It never got back to where it was that's nationwide.”
Distribution sites include more than 15 senior housing facilities and eight distribution pickup locations. In addition to prepared meals, traditional Thanksgiving ingredients will be available, allowing families to cook their own meals. Boxes include a turkey, green beans, cranberry sauce, pie, milk, and walnuts.
CEO John Henley says while Equinox is shifting its focus, it remains dedicated to the community.
“Many of you know we have a domestic violence shelter. We feed people three times a day there. We have community residences for people with chronic mental illness. We feed people there. We have a food pantry for our homeless youth shelter, and we also have a day treatment program called Pro is a marvelous thing that we've been doing almost this long. And we feed people there, but the board of equinox and the staff of Equinox came together and decided that we did want to transition out of our major emphasis being this one day to 365, days a year, and to that, to that point, we've been working with staff at the food bank and also staff at the food pantries and other people in the community to help define the need,” Henley said.
Nardacci adds that the effort could not be completed without partnerships. The program, which is supported by thousands of volunteers, marshals 18 donors and sponsors including local grocery store Price Chopper/Market 32, St. Peter’s Health Partners, and Broadview Federal Credit Union.
Senior Vice President of Sales for Price Chopper/Market 32 Blaine Bringhurst says the regional food chain, which operates more than 130 stores in New York, Vermont, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, is working to keep children and families from going hungry.
“It’s something that we just cannot sit by and watch idly. And that's why Price Chopper/Market 32 and the Golub family have been really involved in the regional food banks for many, many years, and will continue to support them for the for time to come. Because, again, it's what we do.,” Bringhurst said “We understand how hard it is to distribute, organize, the logistics involved in getting food out.”
Nardacci says while the effort won’t reach all of those in need, he hopes to expand the program in the future.