Foodlink will be able to store more perishable items with the help of a $750,000 federal grant.
Congressman Joe Morelle (D-25), made the announcement Monday, saying that he worked with Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, both New York Democrats, to get the funding so that the local food bank organization can buy additional refrigeration equipment.
Morelle said the pandemic forced too many Monroe County residents into food insecurity, “and as we continue to emerge from this crisis, we must ensure families are able to provide for their children and put food on their tables.”
Foodlink’s Chief Operating Officer, Terra Keller, said that one reason the organization now has more perishable items on hand is because of the Nourish New York program which helps food banks source products from New York state producers and farmers.
“That is an additional two million-plus dollars of funding, we have to source mostly perishable products, chicken, dairy, produce, meat, fruits, vegetables, you name it,” said Keller. “Because that’s here to stay, and…the need has stayed high.”
Keller says even with the COVID-19 pandemic easing, the need for help from local food banks has stayed high and she expects that to continue, partly due to economic factors such as inflation.
“All of this fed into the need for us to increase our refrigeration, and we don’t see any decline in the future,” Keller said. “We don’t think it’s just an upward trend because of the pandemic and things will level out. So we have been working with engineers to begin to spec that out (design the new refrigeration equipment).
