New York state funding is supporting new food pantries in the Capital Region.
New food pantries are opening at Boys and Girls Clubs of the Capital Area clubhouses in Albany, Lansingburgh and Troy. Teamhero in Troy is also hosting a pantry.
The pantries are made possible through $50,000 in state grant funding secured by State Assemblyman John McDonald.
The Democrat from the 108th district, a practicing pharmacist, says good food means good health.
“When you look at the food, it's all nutritious food. It's food high in protein, little bit lower in carbohydrates, which is important, particularly for as we know, in the absence of good, nutritious food, they eat high carbohydrate food, which is a strong predictor for diabetes,” McDonald said.
A fifth pantry, at the Boys and Girls Club in Rensselaer, will open in January.
Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York CEO Tom Nardacci says the new spaces will help support 20,000 Capital Region children who are food-insecure.
“They don't have nutritious, high protein, high quality food, like we're displaying here today. They don't have access to fruits and vegetables. They don't have access to apples. Imagine: we live in the Northeast, and we live in this area where apples are abundant, and there are kids in our community that don't have an access to an apple,” Nardacci said.
The Food Bank also operates a backpack program that sends students home from local schools with fresh food. In Lansingburgh, the program benefits 3,000 children and their families.
Boys and Girls Clubs of the Capital Region CEO Justin Reuter says the new food pantries will help his organization keep kids fed every day.
“Kids will sign up. They'll go down in the pantry on Fridays with their families, and they can bring home a backpack full of food for the weekend. So we can ensure Monday through Sunday, our kids are fed,” Reuter said.
Jimmy Bulmer is Executive Director of the Lansingburgh Boys and Girls Club. As a former Club kid himself, he’s proud of his organization's efforts to address food insecurity.
“We've been able to launch our third Monday of every month, our drive-through pantry. We're very appreciative for that. We want to make sure that no matter what happens, kids can focus on learning, they can have fun,” Bulmer said.
Troy Mayor Carmella Mantello, a Republican, says the non-profit community organizations the city relies upon to support children and families are often stretched thin.
“There are food deserts. Kevin Pryor, our diversity director, runs Troy L.O.O.K., and I've been there and in action, 24-cut pizzas. they're cutting them into 48,” Mantello said.
Bulmer says in Lansingburgh, where the Boys and Girls Club already operates a monthly food distribution program, there is strong demand for hunger programs.
“I am seeing it in terms of how many people come by for our free food, our drive-through pantry the third Monday of every month. It's packed. It's 300 plus,” Bulmer said.
