In recognition of continued and growing community need, St. Peter’s Health Partners, The City of Albany, The Food Pantries for the Capital District, and KeyBank have announced a collaborative city-wide food drive beginning July 9th and running through August 2nd.
The Food Pantries conducted their first food drive in conjunction with the City of Albany in 1980 and have since worked together in a public/private partnership to combat hunger. This initiative continues that partnership. Through food drives like this, The Food Pantries are able to help distribute more than a million meals to families in the city of Albany each year.
“We are proud to once again be a part of this important and vital effort to address the problem of food insecurity, which affects so many families and children in Albany and across the Capital Region,” said James K. Reed, M.D., president and chief executive officer of St. Peter’s Health Partners. “The mission of St. Peter’s Health Partners is to be a compassionate and transforming healing presence in the communities we serve. We ask our tremendous staff, and our neighbors in the community, to support this cause, to donate, and to help put food on the plates of families in need.”
Healthy, nonperishable food items can be dropped off at the following Albany locations:
Albany City Hall
24 Eagle Street (Monday-Friday 8:30am-5pm)
Albany Heritage Area Visitors Center
25 Quackenbush Square (M-F 9am-4pm, Sat 10am-3pm, Sun 11am-3pm)
Albany Fire Department
26 Broad Street
Albany Police Departments
165 Henry Johnson Boulevard
536 Western Avenue
126 Arch Street
Alive at Five Concert Series
7/12, 7/19, 7/26, 8/2
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
125 Eagle Street
Downtown Business Improvement District (BID)
21 Lodge St, Floor 1 (M-F 8:30am-5pm)
Honest Weight Food Co-op
100 Watervliet Avenue (Open 7 days a week from 8am-10pm)
KeyBank
All 7 City of Albany locations (M-F 9am-4pm)
- 561 New Scotland Avenue
- Westgate, 911 Central Avenue
- Central Plaza, 1900 Central Avenue
- Empire State Plaza, 112 Grand Concourse
- University, 1196 Western Ave
St. Peter’s Health Partners
5 locations
- St. Peter’s Hospital, 315 South Manning Boulevard
- Albany Memorial Hospital, 600 Northern Boulevard
- Samaritan Hospital, 2215 Burdett Avenue, Troy
- St. Mary’s Hospital, 1300 Massachusetts Avenue, Troy
- St. Peter’s Regional ALS Center, 19 Warehouse Row (off of Railroad Ave.), Albany
The Central Avenue Business Improvement District
176 Central Avenue (M-F 8am-4pm)
The Food Pantries for the Capital District
32 Essex Street (M-F 8am-4pm)
Cash donations will also be accepted at The Food Pantries’, website, office, and Alive at Five concert events on June 12th, 19th, 26th, and August 2nd. Just one dollar can provide up to 6.25 pounds of food to the hungry in Albany. $10 can provide food for up to 52 meals.
“The timing of this city-wide food drive couldn’t be better. As schools are closed for summer there is an additional burden on struggling families to provide meals for their children,” said Natasha Pernicka, Executive Director for The Food Pantries for the Capital District. “On any given day, more than 900 children are fed because their parents were able to access food from a food pantry. As our coalition of food pantries is currently maintaining the highest service levels of our 39 year history, we are thankful for this partnership with the City of Albany, KeyBank, St. Peter’s Health Partners, and the community to work together to keep our local food pantries’ shelves stocked during this great time of need.”
“When school is out for the summer, food insecurity among our community’s children increases significantly, and that is why we partner with The Food Pantries to help meet that need,“ said Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan. “I urge you to join our many generous residents and organizations and drop off your donation at one of the more than 20 collection locations. A small gesture on your part can make a large difference for our children.”
“A common characteristic of strong communities is the willingness of citizens to support and care for neighbors through unfortunate times,” said Ruth Mahoney, president, Capital Region Market, KeyBank. “This is why we are proud to join the Food Pantries and City of Albany in an effort to fight hunger by collecting healthy, non-perishable food. Not only do we hope to feed the hungry, but we also hope to provide them with the resources they need to realize a brighter future and thrive.”
Click here for more information on this year’s City of Albany City-Wide Food Drive.
