FDN is simply a food rescue and redistribution program that collects up to 700,000 lbs of mostly perishable food every year. Twenty six programs including pantries, community hot meals, children’s programs, outreach to low wage work sites and low income homes and senior citizens are served. Two hundred and forty five volunteers participate in picking up and distributing donated food.
Mission:
To alleviate hunger and food insecurity through recovery and redistribution of surplus and day-old nutritious food; to bridge the gap between excess food waste and hunger; to act as a one call center for donors 7 days a week, every day of the year; to model a sustainable, home grown, grassroots low budget agency with a focus on reducing hunger by reducing, reusing and recycling.
History
FDN started in 1988 to aid destitute migrant farm workers in 112 migrant labor camps (Sodus, NY) with basic necessities. In 1992, the program expanded to include Ithaca and surrounding communities. Twenty six hunger programs are provided with mostly fresh perishable food donated by area donors, including deliveries of free food to low-wage work sites and rural poor.
Service to the Community
Up to 2,200 persons are served weekly through 26 hunger programs. Each pantry receives about 1,500-2,000 pounds of mostly fresh, perishable food donations daily – fruits, vegetables, assorted breads and pastries, assorted groceries, variety of dairy and deli items, eggs, pizzas and more!
Donations
- In-Kind Donations: $2.3 million (Food, clothing, linens, toys, 200 volunteers, vehicles, freezer, cooler space, sheds, office space…)
- Food Donations: 1,500 to 2,000 lbs per day; 10,000 to 15,000 lbs per week; (more on holidays); up to 700,000 lbs per year
- Value of Food Donations: $2,500 to $4,000 per day; $1,500,000 to $2,000,000 per year with increases on holidays and harvest time.
- Number of Consumers Served: up to 2,200 per week. Pantries are held weekly; bi-weekly; or monthly
- Donors: Wegmans (anchor donor); three P&C Supermarkets; two Tops Supermarkets; Greenstar Co-op; Ithaca Bakery; Cornell Dairy Store, Apple Orchard, Farm; USDA Cornell Farm; Ithaca Wholesale Produce; Ludgate; Eddydale Farm; Westhaven Farm CSA; Grisamore Farm; Regional Access; other area farms (in season); “Dump and Run” reuse sale; Community food drives; Clarity Connect and community residents
Hunger Programs Served by FDN Donations
- Community free hot meals: at Loaves and Fishes (Monday to Friday); Our Brothers, “Our Sisters Table” (Saturday, Sunday).
- Food pantries: Immaculate Conception Church pantry; McLean Community Church Pantry; Candor “Bread of Life Pantry”; Halsey Valley food pantry; Danby Food Pantry; Interlaken Reformed Church food pantry; Ithaca Home Schoolers Family Pantry; Beaver Dam Pantry; Red Cross Pantries; “Worker’s Center” Pantry at Linderman Creek low-Income Housing; Overlook Apartments Pantry; Ithaca public housing sites; Maranatha Church Pantry; Pine Valley rural Pantry; Catlin rural Pantry; Catlin First Methodist Church Pantry; Newfield outreach for rural trailer park residents; Mental Health Association outreach program; outreach to area low income work sites
- Non-profit community programs: Cayuga Addiction and Recovery; GIAC (snacks for kids); Enfield School snacks for kids) Tompkins County Probation Department (snacks); Women’s Opportunity Center (snacks); Tompkins County Youth Bureau (Snacks); Lakeview Mental Health services; other agencies
Organization
- Staff and Volunteers: mostly volunteer-run–except for a part-time Coordinator of Operations — 245 volunteers, mostly from each participating hunger program, handle donations
- Partnership: In 2009, Ithaca Seventh Day Adventist Church partnered with FDN to insure its continuity into the future. FDN is a non-denominational organization and does not promote any message, including religion.
- Tax Exemption: FDN’s 501C3 is a program of the Ithaca Seventh Day Adventist Church. FDN finances are separate from Seventh Day Adventist. Tax deduction for donations is available.
- Advisory Committee: we have an Advisory Committee that is guiding FDN in fundraising and mission.
Budget
- Total Annual budget: $49,015 (includes p/t director’s salary)
Funding
- FDN achieved its funding goal for 2009 for basic operating expenses.
- 2010 Funding: please donate so we can continue to run our operations! Thanks!
- Endowment: $0
- Your help is needed today to help support FDN! Please donate!
How FDN Differs from other Hunger Programs in the Community
Tompkins County Food Pantry Network provides mostly processed, non-perishable food to 14 pantries in Tompkins County. Much of the food is purchased from Southern Tier Food Bank.
FDN has never paid for food! The two programs differ in approach to obtaining food – FDN ‘rescues’ nutritious fresh perishable food from local food outlets, and on holidays, from colleges and universities (mostly when closed for vacations). If FDN did not exist, donations would most likely be dumped.
The level of need in our area, particularly for nutritious fresh perishable food, is high. It is now at crisis level due to the economic downturn and dramatic increase in unemployment. Families are forced to buy cheaper processed and starchy foods rather than fresh produce. The epidemic of obesity and Diabetes 2 among children poses a serious health problem; most processed food is filled with sugar, salt, white flour, corn syrup. The need for fresh produce, unprocessed food and whole grains is critical.
The two programs are not redundant; eight of FDN’s 26 programs are members of both Networks. Thus, they are able to offer a greater variety and quantity of perishable and non-perishable food at each pantry .
