About The Victor Farmington Food Cupboard
About The Victor Farmington Food Cupboard
Growing Need
In 2022, the most recent year for which data is available, 35% of Ontario County households struggled to afford basic necessities. This was an increase of 23% over 2021. Since that time inflation has continued and although approaching pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2024, actual food prices remain high.
In spite of all our efforts, food insecurity is rising in our community. Overall, VFFC saw significantly increased demand in 2024, which was particularly severe among Seniors, increasing 52% over the prior year.
In response to these growing needs, we continue to explore ways to maintain and enhance our services. Even with a strong focus on improving efficiency, this will inevitably require more resources in the future. Thank you once more to our many benefactors, for your ongoing support to meet these goals and make a difference in our community.
History
The Food Cupboard began as a grassroots effort to share food resources to a few dozen families and individuals in the early 1990’s. Prior to our current location, we held operations in a small house owned by St. Patrick’s Church on High Street in Victor, NY. Volunteers would be throughout the house packing food into bags and handing them out to families in need. As the number of clients grew to a consistent 50 -75 households per month, we began to make the move to a “client choice” process.
The number of clients continued to grow, and over the years we expanded from serving 125 to more than 600 families per month. This quickly made it clear that a new location would soon be necessary, and the decision was made to move to Commercial Drive in Farmington. Then in July of 2020, after an exhaustive search for a larger space to meet our growing needs, we moved to 6548 Anthony Drive, Suite A in Victor, NY.
We are happy to be a source of food insecurity assistance, and we typically give 3-5 days’ worth of food to families who live in Ontario County. In July of 2023 we moved to a grocery store model as a way to erase the social stigma of how food pantries have operated in the past.
Our Approach
We are part of the Foodlink network and follow their guidelines for food safety. We have signed up to be part of the Healthy Pantry Initiative and have committed to ensuring that our customers have consistent access to fresh fruits and vegetables, so that we are part of the road back to health for families and seniors.
Food supplies are donated to us by local churches, schools, civic and business organizations and individuals. We work closely with our key donors/partners at Foodlink, Wegmans, Aldi and Starbucks to provide a variety of nutritious food, with fresh produce from local farms whenever available.
Also, the Victor Farmington Food Cupboard receives monetary donations, which help purchase fresh produce, meat, shelf-stable goods, dairy and bakery items, and hygiene products for families and seniors in need.
Additionally, whenever possible we donate food to a network of emergency providers across Ontario County to ensure we collectively optimize availability to those in need.
