SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC NEWS) — “Food is so basic, ” said Lynn Hy, the chief development officer of the Food Bank of Central New York. “People shouldn’t have to worry where their meal is coming from.”
Yet, a 2019 Feeding America poll showed 12.2 % of people in Onondaga County face food insecurity. This means they did not have access to enough food for an active, healthy life.
Hy said Thanksgiving and Christmas time is typically when the highest volume of donations are received by the Food Bank.
How does the Food Bank maintain its inventory in the off-season for donating?
- Grants from local foundations
- State funding
- Federal funding
- Food donations from grocers and wholesalers
- Promotions on social media
The Food Bank acts as a distributor to its emergency food network that reaches 11 counties in Central New York. If the bank isn’t getting donations that means that food pantries and soup kitchens are out of luck too.
“Hunger is a problem 365 days a year,” said Hy. “We know there’s need throughout, so we try to budget appropriately so that we can continue to provide food.”
October 16 is World Food Day, a day dedicated to abolishing world hunger by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. This year’s theme is “Our Actions Are Our Future Healthy Diets for A #ZeroHunger World.”
The volunteers at the Food Bank drove to Oswego to give out pre-packaged meals via the Mobile Food Pantry. The initiative first began in Utica, but just recently made its way to Syracuse.
