Hunger relief organizations piecing together resources
Niagara County hunger relief organizations are piecing together what's left of funding and resources for putting food on their clients' tables. Last week, FeedMore WNY, which assists many Niagara County agencies, lost access to $3.5 million in food products after the Commodity Credit Corporation program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture was cut.
Other organizations are in similar funding limbo. The United Way of Greater Niagara was notified Jan. 27 that funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide food and shelter to families that need assistance was 'paused.' Andrea Gray, United Way president and CEO, said the $82,000 that was allocated could have supported food banks. Eleven agencies applied for support under the grant, but the applications must remain on hold.
Brendan Conley, chairman of the advisory board for the Salvation Army of Lockport, said with daily changes at the federal level this month, there has been no time 'to read and react.' Salvation Army of Lockport has yet to quantify the impact that cuts are having on its food pantry operation and the Sister Mary Loretto Memorial Community Soup Kitchen. Conley said the demand for hunger relief in the Lockport area is greater now than ever.
The impact on people's lives is real and discernible,' he said. 'When you go about cutting programs, trying to save federal tax dollars, that might seem well intentioned. But when you're not judicious about where the cuts are made, you're damaging the most vulnerable people in our communities.'
Conley said that up to 100 people a day come to the Lockport soup kitchen.
'Our vulnerable population and homeless population have been increasing the last several years,' Conley said. 'It places a larger burden on these types of services. Partners like FeedMore are relied upon heavily. There's going to be consequences and fallout from all of this.'
Intercommunity Services of Ransomville operates the Care n Share food pantry at the former W.H. Stevenson Elementary School. According to treasurer Claudia Fleckenstein, the program serves 150 to 170 individuals each month from Ransomville, Youngstown, Sanborn, Lewiston, Cambria and the Tuscarora Reservation.
On the third Saturday of every month, the Ransomville site hosts a mobile food pantry open to anyone in Niagara County. Fleckenstein said the truck brings five-pound bags of potatoes, yams, apples, and other produce.
'We have recently had eggs, which was unusual, and periodically we get butter,' she said. Hams and other meats have also been available.
Fleckenstein said state grants such as Nourish New York seem to remain intact.
'We're kind of feeling our way through this,' Fleckenstein said. 'We have a budget and we'll have to see in three months how we do.'
In the meantime, grassroots support has been extremely valuable to the organization.
'There's been four or five different boy scout troops that collected goods for us and donated them to the food pantry,' she said. 'They have really helped us out. Many of the local churches are regular donors. We've been encouraging some groups to buy soaps, body wash, shampoo.'
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