SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – Food pantries across the downtown Syracuse tend to experience higher demand as the winter season approaches. For employees of the food pantry located in the Salvation Army in downtown, more patrons are walking through the door in November compared to the past few months.
“It’s always bigger around the holidays,” Gary Smith, employee for the Salvation Army, said. “People are struggling to make decisions on eating.”
The Salvation Army’s food pantry and emergency services, located on Salina Street approximately a mile away from Syracuse University, is only one of a handful of operational pantries near the downtown Syracuse area. The pantry already lacks the resources to serve the needs of all of Onondaga County, Smith said, but the location in downtown is currently seeing a spike in customers.
Smith said the downtown Salvation Army food pantry serves approximately 1,200 families per month. Between 20 and 50 families will be helped on a typical day, but Smith said the number has grown closer to 75 families a day in recent weeks.
Pam Alderman, coordinator at the Salvation Army, said outside of the holiday season approaching, other economic factors have contributed to the rise in demand for the downtown location, in particular.
“Our pantry has been serving a good 25% more people, if not more than that in the last month due to the rising cost of food and people no longer receiving the extra food stamps that they were getting during COVID,” Alderman said.
Benefits created at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program expired in March 2023. Families across the United States, including in New York, lost hundreds of dollars in food aid as benefits were rolled back or not extended.
Food pantries, like the Salvation Army in downtown Syracuse, are increasingly more vital for neighborhoods given that poverty within Onondaga County has usually been concentrated in the city of Syracuse area. Over 30% of Syracuse residents live below the federal poverty line compared to approximately 14% of all Onondaga County residents, according to data from the county.
The pantry currently operates on a points-based system where certain types of food are assigned certain point values. The amount of food given to each household also depends on the number of eligible people who are a part of a family. Smith said it was important to verify customers so the Salvation Army can work to serve the needs of the families who need the most assistance.
“The more people we can verify in your household, the more points you get and the more food you get,” Smith said.
While both Smith and Alderman spoke about the obstacles facing the food pantry as the holiday season looms, each said they are committed to helping out the local community.
“Me personally, I just really feel a need and that I am doing a great service in providing some stability to people,” Alderman said. “There is always someone who is driving to get help. “It’s just very rewarding to have some success stories seeing these young little folks come in and just with these grins on their faces, (and) help their mom pick out their food.”
