News
November 1, 2023Program Spotlight: Retail Store Donation Program
The Retail Store Donation Program enables the Food Bank to collect food from participating retailers that would otherwise be thrown away. Food procured through the program includes things like meat, dairy, and produce – items that are ordinarily expensive and difficult to obtain.
Thanks to the generosity of our retail partners, the impact of the program is tremendous. In 2022, 12.4 million pounds of food were rescued, the equivalent of 10.3 million meals, across our 23-county service area.
The Food Bank is launching an innovative collaboration with Tech Valley Shuttle to boost the Program and provide more food to our neighbors in need.
Beginning next week, Tech Valley Shuttle drivers will collect food from participating retailers five days a week and deliver to the Rev. Phil Food Pantry run by Schenectady Community Ministries (SiCM) along with AMEN Food Pantry and Catholic Charities of Montgomery County in Amsterdam. Participating retailers in this service area include Price Chopper/Market 32, Hannaford, Walmart, Target, and Aldi.
The new route will provide up to one million pounds of additional food to Schenectady and Amsterdam pantries in the next year.
The Food Bank is excited to work with Tech Valley Shuttle on their efforts to create job opportunities for individuals with barriers to employment and we look forward to expanding this innovative approach to other communities in the Regional Food Bank’s service area in the future.
