Food Locker System Announced For Truxton – Can Serve 75 Households a Month

Yesterday, the New York State Office of General Services announced the piloting for the Food Bank of Central New York of a food locker system in two areas in Central New York with one being in Truxton.

The new food lockers will work to expand the reach of The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) for people living in a remote area that are underserved by the program. 

“The New York State Office of General Services (OGS) administers and serves as the distributing agency for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s TEFAP program. TEFAP is a federal program that helps supplement the diets of people with low income by providing them with emergency food assistance at no cost.”

According to a release by the Office of General Services.

The food lockers will feature self-service pantry kiosks and mobile technology. Funding for the lockers came from the USDA Reach and Resiliency grant. Each locker will have a remote temperature control system to ensure food is stored properly and safely. The Food Bank of Central New York will notify when food is ready to be picked up. Once notification is received, those who are eligible can pick up food items via a contactless system at their convenience. The system is more flexible than traditional food pantry hours or locations.

The Office of General Services says up to 75 households can be served via the Truxton lockers. The second locker location, located in Hastings, will be able to accommodate 100 households.

“Food Bank of Central New York’s strategic plan includes a focus on neighbors’ voices in an effort to identify ways to eliminate barriers to access of nutritious foods that they and their families need. When the opportunity to partner with OGS and USDA on the food locker pilot project presented itself, the FBCNY team was excited to participate. This initiative will help bring increased access to areas considered food deserts and that have low utilization of the federal commodities program USDA. These lockers will allow individuals and families access to nutritious foods at times when they are available to pick them up, without the time constraints or stress about getting to an emergency food program during their open hours.”

Said Karen Belcher, Executive Director of the Food Bank of Central New York.

You can learn more about the programs offered by the Food Bank of Central New York by visiting FoodBankCNY.org.