SCHENECTADY, NY – The Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York is launching an innovative collaboration with Tech Valley Shuttle to dramatically enhance the Food Bank’s Retail Store Donation Program. 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), as well as 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 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 an estimated additional one million pounds to Schenectady and Amsterdam residents.
“The demand for nutritious food remains at an all-time high. We are incredibly thankful for this new relationship with Tech Valley Shuttle and the opportunity to deepen our commitment to our food pantry partners. This partnership will substantially increase the amount of food we provide to neighbors in need in Schenectady and Amsterdam. And I am incredibly excited to work closely with Trent and his team on their efforts to create job opportunities for individuals with barriers to employment. And thank you to the participating retailers, who go above and beyond to supply us with food we need to serve our community. We look forward to expanding this innovative approach to other communities in the Regional Food Bank’s service area in the future,” said Tom Nardacci, CEO of the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York.
“At Tech Valley Shuttle, we are always looking for innovative transportation solutions that will benefit the local community. This new partnership with the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York expands upon our mission of driving for good and fighting food insecurity. Our drivers look forward to being a part of this life-changing service,” said Trent Grffin-Braaf, CEO of Tech Valley Shuttle.
“Reliable and consistent food access represents the number one barrier that results in food insecurity, along with access to transportation and food quality. We know the food is out there, it’s just a matter of getting it from point A to point B. That is where the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, Tech Valley Shuttle and local retailers and grocers are stepping up to ensure more nutritious food is reaching our community,” said Amaury Tañón-Santos, Executive Director of Schenectady Community Ministries.
