Food pantry staff just as critical as grocery workers

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has deemed food pantry staff and volunteers ineligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine (as front-facing grocery store workers are) because these dedicated women and men and the work they do is not considered “essential.” St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry has provided essential services to residents of Pine Hills and Eagle Hill neighborhoods in Albany for 38 years.

Not essential, really? Perhaps the governor does not fully understand how essential food pantries locally and across this state are to lowincome families, people with disabilities, individuals struggling on unemployment checks, homebound seniors and frail elderly — especially during the pandemic. St. Vincent’s food pantry is a choice pantry, meaning we allow our guests to shop much like you would in a grocery store. We have modified our system to allow only two guests to shop at a time and limit the number of volunteers in the pantry to help with choosing groceries. Volunteers and guests follow the required protocols of social distancing and wearing masks.

Whether a pantry chooses to provide food via shopping, prepacked or drive-thru, there is an in-person element to each interaction between the person in need and the individual providing assistance. Without a doubt, there is a front-facing aspect to whatever system of food assistance is offered by a food pantry.

St. Vincent de Paul Food

Pantry is essential to the 5,200 households who visited our pantry in 2020. I believe if Cuomo visited a food pantry, he would realize that indeed food pantry staff and volunteers are not only essential but fit the criteria of a front-facing grocery store worker.

Angela K. Warner

Albany Director, Social Justice Ministries, Church of St. Vincent de Paul