Beginning in April, the Oswego County Health Department will pair with the Food Bank of Central New York to host mobile food pantries for families in need. There will be no income requirement for participation, and everyone who arrives at a pantry will receive a free box of food.
The Food Bank of Central New York is a non-profit organization that “serves as the main food distribution hub for hundreds of partner agencies that comprise the emergency food network in [the] 11-county service region across central and northern New York. The Food Bank provides more than 18.6 million pounds of food – the equivalent of 15.5 million meals – to hungry families, children, and elderly people every year,” according to their web site
One of the Bank’s more recent initiatives, its mobile food pantry (MFP), is an “effort to reach communities and individuals in areas of unmet need. MFP is a practical distribution method to work around food access obstacles and food deserts,” according to their web site.
Though the initial operation point of the mobile food pantry was solely Utica, the program has since seen expansion into neighboring counties such as “Cayuga, Chenango, Cortland, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, and Oswego.”
Overall, the Bank hopes to mitigate the hunger problem in the central New York region. In January of this year, Oswego County ranked fifth in food insecurity throughout the state, a statistic that highlights the current crisis that a large portion of the local population faces. Outside of New York City, the two contending counties for the highest food insecurity were “Herkimer (28.8%) and Oswego (26.2%),” according to the New York State Health Department (DOH).
Beyond the immediate consequences of consistent hunger and a higher risk of malnutrition, “food insecurity and the lack of access to affordable nutritious food are associated with increased risk for multiple chronic health conditions such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease, mental health disorders and other chronic diseases,” according to the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities.
Of the various contributing factors, poverty, high unemployment, and low livable wages is a significant series that exacerbates the hunger crisis in upstate New York. Though occupational conditions are beyond the scope of repair from the Food Bank of Central New York, providing food in areas perpetually affected by unfavorable socioeconomic conditions reduces the hunger effect many families face.
Aside from the Food Bank, the New York State DOH also highlights its own food-providing safety nets, including the Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), the Commodity Supplemental Food Program and the Child and Adult Care Food Program. Nonetheless, the Oswego County Health Department’s collaboration with the large-scale bank will provide extended opportunities for families in unfortunate situations.
The April mobile food pantry schedule began on April 2 and will continue until April 16. The next hosted pantry will be on April 6, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Altmar-Parish-Williamstown (APW) High School in Parish. Following the APW pantry, Oswego Alliance Church will host the next mobile pantry on April 12, from 4 to 6 p.m. The last pantry will be at the Parish Fire Station on April 16, from 4 to 6 p.m.
Though no families will be turned away, participants are limited to one food box per household while supplies last.
