The YMCA of Greater Rochester has teamed up with Foodlink to help fill in the gaps for city residents who need help providing food for their families.
The YMCA has established a food pantry at its Neighborhood Center located on Lewis Street in the Marketview Heights neighborhood. Foodlink is partnering with the YMCA to stock the pantry and provide nutritious meals.
Local YMCA President and CEO Ernie Lamour said this really speaks to the organization’s mission of serving the community.
“Being able to open a new food pantry is going to allow us to serve, continue to serve kids and families, not just during the school year, but also during the summer months,” said Lamour. “When kids are out of school, that’s still an issue that parents face.”
Terra Keller is Chief Operations and Financial Officer at Foodlink, and said that with uncertainty over federal funding, there may be additional food needs especially for people already getting SNAP benefits.
“They often don't end up having to seek additional emergency food till toward the end of the month, when SNAP benefits have run up,” Keller said. “So now, if they're reduced, that's likely we're going to see increased visits to pantries and potentially other meal programs like soup kitchens.”
Keller said it’s important to provide this additional support in neighborhoods where there is a greater percentage of residents who may not be getting the proper nutrition.
“Their model of trying to work with families and children and set up these community centers in some of the more hard hit neighborhoods, at least based on food insecurity rates, it's a natural fit for us to continue to model and rethink food access.”
Lamour said that providing these services at locations where the YMCA already has other facilities, may make it more likely that people will be comfortable asking for this kind of help.
“And so when you’re already at the ‘Y’, getting the services that you’re there for, this is another additional benefit that I think the community really is looking forward to and it does make it a little bit easier, in my opinion,” Lamour said.
