SCHENECTADY - The Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York and Tech Valley Shuttle have announced a new partnership to help provide up to one million pounds of additional food to Schenectady and Amsterdam residents.
Tech Valley Shuttle drivers will collect food from the participating retailers, Price Chopper/Market 32, Hannaford, Walmart, Target and Aldi, five days a week and deliver to the Rev. Phil Food Pantry run by Schenectady Community Ministries (SiCM), as well as AMEN Food Pantry and Catholic Charities of Montgomery County in Amsterdam.
The Retail Store Donation Program (RSDP) enables the Food Bank to collect food from participating retailers that would otherwise be thrown away. It allows access to otherwise expensive and difficult to obtain items such as meat, dairy, and produce — enabling food insecure residents to prepare well-balanced, nutritious meals for themselves and their families. In 2022, 12.4 million pounds of food were rescued, the equivalent of 10.3 million meals, across the Food Bank’s 23-county service area. The new route will provide up to one million pounds of additional food to Schenectady and Amsterdam pantries.
“The demand for nutritious food remains at an all-time high,” Tom Nardacci, CEO of the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, said in a statement. “We are incredibly thankful for this new relationship with Tech Valley Shuttle and the opportunity to deepen our commitment to our food pantry partners.”
The partnership will substantially increase the amount of food the Food Bank can provide to neighbors in need Nardacci said.
“We look forward to expanding this innovative approach to other communities in the Regional Food Bank’s service area in the future,” Nardacci said in a statement.
Tech Valley Shuttle, and its drivers look forward to being a part of this life changing service, said Trent Griffin-Braaf, CEO of Tech Valley Shuttle.
“At Tech Valley Shuttle, we are always looking for innovative transportation solutions that will benefit the local community,” Griffin-Braaf said in a statement. “This new partnership with the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York expands upon our mission of driving for good and fighting food insecurity.”
A main challenge food pantries and other food relief organizations face is reliable and consistent access to high-quality foods that also reflect the cultural diversity of the communities being served, said Amaury Tañón-Santos, Executive Director of Schenectady Community Ministries.
“The Retail Store Donation Program led by the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York provides an opportunity for local grocers to impact their larger community by diverting good-quality food to pantries,” Tañón-Santos said in a statement. “This partnership with Tech Valley Shuttle ensures for that impact to remain local — Schenectady County grocers impacting the larger Schenectady County community.”
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