Assemblymember Anthony Brindisi (D-Utica) is collecting donations for the Utica Community Food Bank at his district office. Food and clothing donations will be accepted between the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, from now until Dec. 21.
“It’s important for those of us who are in a position to give back to do so,” Brindisi said. “With the holiday season upon us, we must pause to consider how we can help those less fortunate within our community.”
The Utica Community Food Bank is more than just a food pantry. It also collects and distributes clothing, furniture and appliances to those in need. In the summer of 2009, the Food Bank nearly shut down, but was able to remain open with the help of local media and the generosity of those within the community. During 2010, the Food Bank was able to assist approximately 25,000 individuals. Everything it collects is distributed locally and provided free of charge. But with Oneida County’s current unemployment rate of 7.8 percent, and with more than 30,000 local individuals living at or below the poverty line, the Food Bank is experiencing a 10 to 20 percent increase in requests and is asking for all the help it can get.1[1]
“With the economy as it is now, the number of requests for assistance is greater than it has ever been,” said Mark Wolber, Board President of the Utica Community Food Bank. “Two thousand years ago, it was said, ‘When I was hungry, you gave me food; when I was naked, you clothed me.’ That is the mission of the Utica Community Food Bank.”
Donations can be made at Assemblymember Brindisi’s district office, located at 207 Genesee St., Room 401, Utica, or at the Utica Community Food Bank’s headquarters at 112 Bleecker St. in Utica from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays. For more information on this or any other important community issue, call Assemblymember Brindisi’s district office at 732-1055. To arrange a pick-up, call the Utica Community Food Bank at 509-4700 or the Food Bank’s Board President Mark Wolber at 724-3127.
1 New York State Community Action Association 2011 Poverty Report
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