Volunteers, including many cheerleaders, step up with extra food distribution in Albion

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 November 2025 at 9:34 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – It’s been over five years that Community Action of Orleans & Genesee has been organizing a food distribution with Foodlink in Albion. These events have always been in the morning – until Friday when there was one beginning at 4:30 p.m. The top photo was taken about 5 p.m. when the distribution was halfway over.

Foodlink gave Albion an extra distribution due to the delays with getting SNAP benefits caused by the federal government shutdown.

Volunteers in one hour filled 200 boxes with food and placed them in the trunks of vehicles that were at the large Albion municipal lot at 165 South Platt St.

Community Action was grateful for the extra distribution on Friday but the agency wondered about having volunteers to help pack the food into boxes and deliver it to a parking lot full of vehicles.

Community Action had a big group of volunteers on Friday, with a group of 14 cheerleaders providing the most manpower.

Jami Allport is the Albion cheerleading coach and also executive director of the Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern. The cheerleaders also will be ringing the bell for the Red Kettle Drive to raise money for local residents in need.

There were people who haven’t been to a food distribution before due to the time later in the afternoon. The morning start time prevents many from those food distributions.

Ryan Lasal, director of community programming for Community Action, said the agency will reach out to Foodlink about alternating the times in the future, with a morning distribution one month and then the afternoon time the following month.

Jackie Dunham, chief operating officer at Community Action, was among the volunteers helping with the food distribution on Friday evening.

Other upcoming distributions in Orleans County include:

Orleans Cornell Cooperative Extension, 12690 State Route 31, on Monday, December 1 beginning at 10 a.m. Pre-registration is strongly suggested. Those who pre-register will be assigned timeslots for pickup (12-12:30, 12:30-1, 1-1:30. 1:30-2 p.m.) Pre-register at 585-798-4265. Walk-ins may start at 2 p.m.
Lyndonville Presbyterian Church, 107 North Main St., on Friday, Dec. 5, beginning at 9:30 a.m. (No registration required.)
Community Action at Albion municipal lot at 165 South Platt St. on Monday, Dec. 8, beginning at 9 a.m. (No preregistration required.) Community Action also has the schedule for the first six months of 2026: Jan. 12, Feb. 9, March 9, April 13, May 11 and June 8.