By Rich EspositoOlean Food Pantry Board Member (Editor’s note: This is the second in a four-part opinion-editorial series by the Olean Food Pantry for the Olean Times Herald and other local media outlets. about solving food insecurity in our communities. Read the original article here.) I’m a numbers guy. The hunger numbers are staggering in […]

By David PotterBoard President, Olean Food Pantry (Editor’s note: This is the first in a four-part opinion-editorial series by the Olean Food Pantry for the Olean Times Herald and other local media outlets. about solving food insecurity in our communities. Read the original article here.) Last summer, our Board of Directors began some serious discussion […]

As Olean Food Pantry continues to serve record numbers of individuals and families, it’s important not to see them only as numbers – but also as people. They’re the faces of hunger and food insecurity in Western New York.  These good people paint a diverse and complex picture of struggle and unwavering determination. Behind closed […]

The traditional service model for local food pantries is just that: service. People come. People receive food. They go home. But there are so many other innovative ways local food pantries could help their communities beyond food distribution alone. We’ve been asking those questions and seeking those answers – and the critical funding to provide […]

Olean Food Pantry’s $1 Million Fundraising Campaign is NOT ONLY about ensuring we keep food on our shelves for the next year or two. We aim for A DECADE OF STOCKED SHELVES, not for the sake of serving food distribution needs alone. Rather, the transformative impact of securing food and supplies in that timeframe is […]

Olean Food Pantry announced our $1 Million Fundraising Campaign with much excitement almost one full month ago. BIG figures aren’t thrown around too often in this area’s nonprofit community – at least not with volunteer-run organizations like ours.  Having seen a 95.4% increase in food pantry clients the last three years, we knew the time […]

OLEAN, NY (March 27, 2024) – Get ready to move your feet and make a difference. The Olean Food Pantry is partnering with Neighborhood School of Dance for the upcoming Movin’ Feet 4 the Food Pantry Dance-A-Thon – a fun-filled event to support the fight against local food insecurity. The Dance-A-Thon will be held from […]

In response to the meteoric rise in Olean Food Pantry clientele in recent years, we are proud to announce our $1 million fundraising campaign. When successful, OFP will be able to sustain food distribution efforts for the next decade while addressing our little corner of the alarming rise of food insecurity in America. It’s a […]

We’ve become accustomed to seeing more and MORE people visiting the Olean Food Pantry for sustenance in recent years. In 2024, it seems like each week we’re approaching or setting record-breaking numbers of individuals and families served. Increasing community need calls for a better understanding of the consequences of hunger. The most severe? Food insecurity […]

That always seems to be the lofty goal, right? End some big issue by the end of the decade. Those who profess themselves to be changemakers on a global scale always seem to kick the can a decade into the future – ending global food insecurity is no different – so the goals inevitably won’t […]

Let’s pay homage to a journey that began 70 years ago to end hunger in our communities. Olean Food Pantry began in the humblest of ways in 1954, with a small women’s group determined to feed the hungry as best they could.  They decided to make a difference, and they did! Little did these remarkable […]

We’ve never seen anything quite like it. On a recent distribution day in late January, the Olean Food Pantry served more people than ever before. On this record-breaking day, we provided free grocery items and other necessities to a staggering 155 families – the most in a single day since our establishment in 1954. Of […]

The antidote to ending food insecurity lies within us and within our communities. We’ve posted about it on this blog quite a bit – and will continue to do so until we achieve our vision of a world without hunger. It begins at the community level, grassroots, neighbor helping neighbor. Why? Because we know the […]

In the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, it’s easy to overlook a harsh reality many families face: the struggle to put food on the table. Thankfully, local food pantries stand as a beacon of hope in communities that are fortunate enough to have them. While tens of millions of Americans utilize food pantries […]

Hunger is more than a feeling. It’s more than uncertainty and stress, more than poverty, and greater than the sum of all societal issues that cause it. Food insecurity impacts families in real ways – especially children. Food insecurity for children is essentially an issue all its own in the greater narrative surrounding the war […]

In the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, 19-year-old Daniel found purpose in volunteering at a food pantry in Houma, LA. His story mirrors the broader challenge faced by communities across the nation. He’s one of a million or more food pantry volunteers who strive to address hunger in America one meal at a time. Volunteers and […]

The Olean Food Pantry combats food insecurity and provides a lifeline to local families in need. How many people does the Olean Food Pantry serve? Let’s have a look at some recent stats. From January 2022 through September 2023, Olean Food Pantry served 39,111 people between Western New York and northwestern Pennsylvania. That’s an average […]

Every year, we’re overjoyed with the amount of support for the Olean Food Pantry. Caring people in our communities generously give in any way they can. Area elementary schools and youth sports organizations host canned food drives. Friends and neighbors donate holiday meals or what’s left in their own pantries after reorganizing. Community members even […]

In the quiet corners of our communities, there exists an army of heroes – the local food pantries and the good folks who work so hard to run them. Places like Olean Food Pantry stand on the frontline, addressing every urgent need for those facing food insecurity. Local food pantries are symbols of hope in […]

Let’s take a look at one of the most unsettling realities facing Americans today: the alarming rise of food insecurity in America. In a nation known for obesity, abundant processed food and obsessions with over-the-top meals, there’s a silent struggle happening in millions of people’s lives.  Food insecurity is a socioeconomic disparity on par with […]