Corner Cupboard Food Bank committed to ending hunger
Karen Mansfield
Jeremiah Henderson, of the Corner Cupboard Food Bank, prepares to unload a pallet of food that was donated by a retail store. The Corner Cupboard operates 11 food pantries that serve food-insecure Greene County residents.
Corner Cupboard Food Bank Inc. director Candace Tustin Webster said there has been a recent uptick in the number of families and individuals who are facing food insecurity in Greene County.
Corner Cupboard Food Bank employee Jeremiah Henderson prepares to unload a pallet of food donated by a retail store. The food bank serves food-insecure people in Greene County.
One of the country鈥檚 most urgent problems is food insecurity, and the Corner Cupboard Food Bank Inc. is committed to ending hunger in Greene County.
Corner Cupboard works to meet the food needs of the families, seniors, veterans, and children throughout the county who are experiencing hunger.
Each month, the food bank and its 11 volunteer-run food pantries feed about 2,500 people in Greene County.
Corner Cupboard Director Candace Tustin Webster is seeing an uptick in the number of people who are seeking help because of food insecurity.
鈥淣ow, at this time of year, we definitely see an increase in sign-ups and families in need because of a lot of factors. With cold weather here, families are choosing between paying their heating bill, or older folks deciding if they鈥檙e going to pay for medication, or if they鈥檙e going to put that toward food,鈥� said Tustin Webster.
The food bank鈥檚 annual operating budget is between $250,000 and $300,000. Corner Cupboard relies heavily on donations, along with state and federal funding to procure fresh and canned foods to distribute to families in need.
鈥淢onetary donations are incredibly important because we can purchase exactly what we need. We rely so much on donations and grants, and I鈥檓 always trying to generate funding and support through fundraisers,鈥� said Tustin Webster.
Corner Cupboard also relies on its volunteers, whom Tustin Webster calls 鈥渢he backbone鈥� of the food bank and its pantries.
Partnerships with large retail donors, including Walmart, Sheetz and Sam鈥檚 Club, have helped the food bank to double the amount of food items it can provide for the county鈥檚 neighbors in need.
Right now, the food bank is in desperate need of a 24- to- 26-foot refrigerated box truck to pick up large food donations.
鈥淥ur goal is to raise enough money to purchase a truck that鈥檚 suitable for our needs,鈥� said Tustin Webster.
The food bank started a truck fund on Nov. 30, with the goal of raising $25,000. Additional information is available on the Corner Cupboard website.
The COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult to hold in-person fundraisers, so the food bank encourages individuals and organizations to host virtual food drives.
鈥淭here has always been a need for our services, before COVID, and now during the pandemic,鈥� said Tustin Webster. 鈥淭he pantries are important to so many people.鈥�
For additional information to see how to hold a virtual drive or to volunteer, or for other ways to help the food bank, visit its website at www.cornercupboard.org.