Mobile food pantry attracts Islanders

Story and photos by Alice Gerard

Senior Contributing Writer

Cars were lined up by 8:30 a.m. on April 21 in the Grand Island Town Hall parking lot. People in the cars were waiting for the start of a mobile food pantry, held the third Thursday of the month as a drive-thru event.

At a tent, set up in the parking lot, volunteers from the Rotary Club of Grand Island, the Salvation Army/Tonawanda, KeyBank and M&T Bank were preparing bags of food to distribute. One bag contained nonperishable food, and another bag included a tray pack of chicken thighs, a carton of eggs, small containers of grape juice and a pound of butter.

Faye Teluk, president of the Rotary Club of Grand Island, said, “We are very conscious of food insecurity in this day and age, so we coordinate with the Salvation Army to do a food pantry once a month.

“We have observed that we have at least 50 people who come in once a month. We have also given out information about the Neighbors Foundation, and the Salvation Army has let them know (that they) take care of Grand Island, also.

“One of our Rotarians is a manager at our local M&T, which has an internal engine, where they can get volunteers to help us out. Rotary has (gotten) the volunteers, but M&T has been wonderful in sending people over. And Chris Ver Hagen, who is a manager at KeyBank, is also a Rotarian.”

Volunteers also provide people who come to the mobile pantry with information about options to obtain food.

“We have also given out information about the Neighbors Foundation of Grand Island,” Teluk said, noting the Salvation Army also runs a mobile food pantry at Salvation Army/Tonawanda, 46 Broad St., on the first Friday of the month.

The goal of the pantries is to “take care of food insecurity on Grand Island, coordinated with KeyBank, M&T, Salvation Army and Rotary.”

Next month’s food pantry is scheduled for June 18 from approximately 9 a.m. until supplies run out. The mobile food pantry in Tonawanda is scheduled for 10 a.m. June 5 until all supplies run out. The July pantry in Tonawanda will be held July 11, as the first Friday of that month is a national holiday.

People are asked to provide proof of address and identification to receive food donations.

Volunteers came from the Rotary Club of Grand Island, Salvation Army/Tonawanda, KeyBank and M&T Bank.