Food Pantries for the Capital District donates

Funding to benefit 23 local facilities in memory of Sowalski

The Food Pantries for the Capital District on Friday announced a second round of funding for local food pantries impacted by the pandemic.

The $75,000 in funding for 23 food pantries is made in memory of The Food Pantries’ board member Bruce Sowalski who passed away in April 2020 from COVID -19. The additional donated funds will bring The Food Pantries’ total donations since the start of the pandemic to about $120,000.

The funds will be used to purchase items and equipment, address additional staffing needs, purchase extra shelving for storage, additional refrigerators and freezers, and provide laptops to help support social distancing, innovative service models, and more, according to a statement released by The Food Pantries.

“With an estimated 89,000 people suffering from food insecurity in Albany, Rensseoakwood laer, Saratoga and Schenectady counties, this is important for us in our mission to address hunger through our member food pantries,” said Natasha Pernicka, executive director of The Food Pantries, in a statement. “Bruce strongly believed in our mission and our belief in working together to do what no one of us can do alone. It is our honor to keep his legacy alive by supporting the needs of our member food pantries in his name.”

The recipients include the following food pantries:

Albany Community Action Partnership

Arbor Hill Community Center

Blessed Sacrament Parish Captain Community Human Services

Capital Church Food Pantry CONSERNS-U

Faith Baptist Food Pantry Franklin Community Center Greater Galway Community Services Association

Lifeworks Community Action Food Pantry

Mechanicville Area Community Services Center Food Pantry

Mt. Ida Community Food Pantry

Community Center, Roarke Center

Salvation Army — Albany Food Pantry

Salvation Army — Saratoga Food Pantry

Salvation Army — Troy Food Pantry

St. Clements Outreach

St. James Food Pantry

St. John’s/st. Ann’s Outreach Center

St. Vincent’s Food Pantry The Anchor Food Pantry Trinity Alliance of the Capital Region

Trinity United Methodist Church Food Pantry

Paul Buckowski / Times Union Volunteers load food bags and boxes into vehicles during a mass food distribution put on by Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany, and the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York at Macedonia Baptist Church last January in Albany.