It’s Hunger Action Month at Olean Food Pantry
September is Hunger Action Month, celebrated by local food pantries and food banks around the world. While the focus is on a global scale, ours is a grassroots mission that begins by tackling food insecurity in our rural communities. We rely on community members just like you to provide support and spread awareness about a dramatically increasing need.
There are many great ways during Hunger Action Month for people to, well, take action. The first being to support Olean Food Pantry any way you can. We’re the largest volunteer-run food pantry in Western New York, serving thousands of individuals and families each month.
The need for support at OFP has never been more urgent. With food insecurity rates rising to alarming levels, especially in our rural counties, we’re seeing firsthand how the hunger crisis continues to intensify. Hunger isn’t a problem just for large cities — it’s happening in our rural backyard, too.
Hunger Action Month, established by Feeding America, celebrates the hard work of food-service organizations while calling on those with the means to help.
Olean Food Pantry Honors Hunger Action Month with a Call to Service
At Olean Food Pantry, we’re dedicated to serving those in need. But we can’t do it alone. With community demand skyrocketing, we rely on the generosity of donors, the strength of volunteers, and critical grants and major gifts to keep food on the tables of families who need it most.
This Hunger Action Month, we’re echoing the call. Foremost, please give to our $1 Million Fundraising Campaign, which aims to stock our shelves for the next 10 years so we can focus on solving systemic issues that worsen poverty and hunger.
Other Ways to TAKE ACTION This Hunger Action Month
Hunger Action Month is about more than just raising awareness — it’s about driving real change. Every act of love and support counts. Together, we can make an incredible impact in the Western New York communities we serve.
Here are some ways you can get involved this month and help Olean Food Pantry fight hunger:
1. Make a Donation or Start a Fundraiser
We’ve done our part in establishing the $1 Million Fundraising Campaign. But that doesn’t mean your school or office can’t make donations or start your own fundraisers to contribute. While we’re busy writing BIG grant proposals and courting major gift donors, smaller acts of charity often add up to one of the bigger pieces of the pie (if not THE biggest).
Financial contributions are the most effective way to help us meet immediate needs. Cash donations allow us to purchase 66% MORE FOOD than nonperishable donations alone! Whether it’s a one-time donation or a monthly gift, your contribution goes directly toward stocking our shelves and keeping our programs running.
2. Provide a Major Gift, Corporate Sponsorship or Nonprofit Grant
Olean Food Pantry is actively seeking grants, major gifts and corporate sponsorships to help us scale our operations. People and organizations with deep pockets have an opportunity today to impact the future of our communities for generations to come. Without taking major action, these communities are doomed to fall even deeper into the vicious cycle of poverty and hunger.
With thousands of people who are hungry, out of work and lacking resources to improve their lives, any meaningful socioeconomic recovery is unlikely.
If you have connections to foundations or know individuals interested in philanthropy, you can help to secure the funding we need. Major acts of charity allow us to invest in facility expansions, improve our technology, launch innovative programs and build new community partnerships that address root causes of hunger.
3. Volunteer Your Time
For over 70 years, volunteers have been the backbone of Olean Food Pantry. Giving a few hours of your time can make a huge difference in our ability to serve the community.
Volunteers here help with everything from registering pantry clients and sorting donations to packing and distributing food. We could always use a helping hand. If you’re looking to give back, we invite you to sign up and volunteer this month.
4. Wear Orange & Spread the Word
Orange is the official color of Hunger Action Month. Show your support by wearing orange, snapping a photo, and sharing it on social media with the hashtags #OleanFoodPantry, #HungerActionMonth and #EndHungerNow. Raising awareness and nurturing an in-depth conversation on local hunger is the first step toward inspiring others to take action.
Your voice can help amplify our mission.
5. Support a Strong Farm Bill
The farm bill plays a critical role in supporting food banks and meal programs across the nation. This September, advocate for a strong farm bill by reaching out to your elected officials and urging them to prioritize policies that protect food security.
6. Thank a Food Pantry Worker
It’s easier to give time and energy freely when appreciation is given freely in return. Unfortunately, for many volunteer food pantry workers around the country, enough thanks isn’t given for their heroic front-line efforts.
Our dedicated volunteers work tirelessly to ensure no one in our communities goes to bed hungry. That’s an uphill battle that gets harder each weekly distribution day. If you know a food pantry volunteer, a simple note – or even a text message – of appreciation can go a long way in keeping spirits high and reminding our team that they’re making a difference.
Why? Understanding The Urgent Need for Food Pantry Support
Make no mistake, food insecurity in Western New York is a crisis. According to the New York State Department of Health, counties like Allegany (22%), Cattaraugus (21.6%), and Chautauqua (24.8%) are seeing food insecurity rates that rival or surpass those of larger urban areas.
This means 1 in 4 of our neighbors, family members and friends struggles to access enough food to live a healthy, stable life.
With the cost of living rising and wages stagnant, more families than ever are turning to food pantries for assistance. Our mission is to provide nutritious food and essential resources to our communities, but the demand has MORE THAN DOUBLED in recent years. As a result, we need to dramatically scale our operations, which requires increased funding.
The Road Ahead: Building Community Resilience
The hunger crisis isn’t going away overnight, but together we can make a lasting impact. Olean Food Pantry is committed to not only providing food, but also creating long-term solutions to end hunger in our region. We aim to launch programs and build partnerships – to improve access to job training, financial literacy and nutrition education – addressing the underlying causes of poverty and hunger.
This Hunger Action Month, let’s take action together and ensure that every member of our community has access to the food they need to thrive.
