Cornell emergency food pantry, and other food resources open during COVID-19

ITHACA, N.Y. –– Local food pantries are adjusting hours and practices –– doing their best to stay open and keep the community fed during the COVID-19 crisis.

In partnership with the Food Bank of the Southern Tier and the Greater Ithaca Activities Center, Cornell University will host an emergency Community Food Pantry on the basketball court at GIAC, 301 West Court Street beginning this week. The Community Food Pantry is open to the Ithaca community, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The Ithaca Voice has compiled a list of local food pantries and resources for people in need. If you have information on other food banks/pantries serving the community, please send info to tips@ithacavoice.com. Our goal is to gather these resources for all of Tompkins County.

In addition to food pantries, the Ithaca City School District is offering free meals to all children for the duration of the school closure. Any ICSD family can arrange for daily meal delivery by completing the online delivery request form. Families should complete one form per week for all children in the household and submit the form at least 24 hours in advance.

If you do not have access to the internet, or otherwise need assistance completing the meal delivery request form, please call 2-1-1. The call center is available 24/7 and is also locally staffed Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Students in Lansing have access to the Lansing Lunchbox –– a free food program for Lansing school students and their younger siblings. They provide groceries designed to last 2 weeks. Interested LCSD families can contact lansingsummerlunchbox@gmail.com for more info or to register. The next distribution will be April 14 and 15. They offer drive-through pick-up at the Lansing Food Pantry.

Collegetown Bagels, at 301 E. State Street in downtown Ithaca, has pre-packaged soups, salads, sandwiches, and entrees now offered on a “pay-what-you-can” basis, up to two items per person, per day. There are also tables that have been placed outside the downtown restaurant that are loaded with leftover food items towards the end of each day at 4 p.m. These items are free and there is no limit –– supplies are first-come, first-served.

Here are the hours and locations for food pantries in Ithaca still operating during COVID-19

St. John’s Community Service, at 618 W. State St, Ithaca is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. everyday during COVID-19.

Ithaca Kitchen Cupboard, at 150 N. Albany Street, Ithaca is open every Monday through Thursday from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. and on Fridays from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Tompkins Community Action will not open for the public but in order to ensure that families and individuals have access to their food resources, they request that Food Pantry customers in Tompkins County please call (607) 273-8816 to make an appointment to pick up food at 701 Spencer Rd. in Ithaca. Appointments will be created three times per week: Tuesdays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and again on Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Loaves and Fishes will continue their free meal service Monday through Friday. Lunch is Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Dinner is Tuesday and Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. They are now also serving freshly prepared meals-to-go, from the front courtyard of St. John’s Episcopal Church, on the corner of Buffalo and N. Cayuga Streets. 

The Immaculate Conception Food Pantry is closed until further notice.

The Baptized Church of Jesus Christ pantry will be held at its normal hours, Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and the third Saturday of the month from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. located at 412 First Street, Ithaca.

The Cornell Food Pantry, open to Cornell Community Members with a NetID, will continue its operations following spring break. Normal hours will resume beginning on Tuesday, April 7 through the remainder of the semester: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Wednesdays and Fridays 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Sundays noon to 3 p.m. The Cornell Food Pantry is located at 109 McGraw Place on Cornell’s west campus.

Southside Community Center is running a pantry Tuesday through Friday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and the first and fourth Saturday of the month from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. They are located at 305 South Plain Street, Ithaca. For more information call (607) 273-4190.

Hours and locations for food pantries in the rest of Tompkins County still operating during COVID-19

Newfield Kitchen Cupboard pantry is being held at the usual time, first and third Wednesday of the month from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Newfield Methodist Church. However, the procedure for receiving food will be changed. No one except volunteers will be admitted to the building. There will also be no bathroom facilities available for public use. Occupants will be given a ‘grocery list’ of the usual available foods to select and circle their choices. Volunteer ‘runners’ will take filled out lists to volunteer ‘shoppers’ inside who fill the bags and return groceries to the cars. The pantry, located at Newfield United Methodist Church 227 Main Street, Newfield, is for Newfield residents only.

The Caroline Food pantry, for Caroline residents only, located at 524 Valley Road, Brooktondale, will be following their normal schedule. The pantry will be held on the first and third Mondays, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Volunteers will not be allowing patrons inside, but instead will be filling bags for them. Out of area patrons can fill out a form to be included in the next pantry.

The Enfield Food Pantry is open Sundays 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and Mondays from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the Enfield Community Building, 182 Enfield Main Rd., Ithaca. The Enfield Food Pantry primarily serves residents of the Town of Enfield, but at this time is waiving any residency requirement and are serving anyone who needs food.

The pantry is using a pre-order system, with curbside pickup. Volunteers will pack orders for pick-up either Sunday or Monday, at a specific time that you select on your order form. Each week a new order form will be posted on the website with a list of available items by Tuesday of each week. Orders should be placed online no later than Friday, 5 p.m. of each week.

If you do not have access to the internet, please call 607-379-9270 no later than 5 p.m. Wednesday, of each week. Leave a message and a volunteer will call you back within 48 hours to take your order over the phone.

Those that miss the pre-order time are being asked to come to the pantry on Sunday or Monday between 1 and 2 p.m. and volunteers will put together a box of whatever is left. If you need home delivery, you can indicate that on the form and they will do their best to accommodate your request. They cannot provide deliveries outside the Town of Enfield.

The Trumansburg Food Pantry, at the Trumansburg United Methodist Church located at 80 E Main St, Trumansburg is open Mondays from 5:15 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The Danby Food Pantry, for Danby Residents only located at the Danby Federated Church 1859 Danby Road, Danby is running normally on the third Thursday of the month from 3 to 6 p.m.

The Dryden Kitchen Cupboard located at the Dryden Presbyterian Church (red brick church) 6 North Street, Dryden, is still currently open as normally scheduled. They will be open 11 to noon on Mondays and Fridays, on Wednesdays from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. and the last Saturdays of the month, 11 to noon.

Dryden United Methodist Church has suspended all community meals until further notice.

The Freeville Food Pantry, for Freeville residents only, will remain open for the time being. The pantry is open the second and fourth Monday of the month from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Freeville United Methodist Church 37 Main Street, Freeville.

Groton Food Providers pantry, for Town of Groton residents only will be running weekly on Wednesdays from 5:30 to 7 p.m. They are asking patrons to come during scheduled times based on the first initial of their last name. Call (607) 592-4825 for a time slot. The pantry is located at Groton Assembly of God, Joyce Crouch Benevolence Building, 101 McKinley Avenue, Groton

The Lansing Food Pantry will host an Emergency Food Pantry on Monday, April 13 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at 1767 East Shore Drive for Lansing residents only. They are also open on the second Monday of the month from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and the fourth Monday of every month from 1 to 3 p.m.

Here are some programs to assist families and individuals in need of food assistance