Long lines for expanded food distribution this morning in Albion
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Staff and volunteers from the Orleans County Office for the Aging helped run a food distribution this morning at the parking lot for the Main Street Thrift Store at the corner of Main and Chamberlain streets.
The OFA staff are shown on Chamberlain Street. The vehicles stretched down Chamberlain for several blocks to McKinistry Street. The cars were lined down McKinistry and then down East Park Street.
Volunteers and staff from Community Action of Orleans & Genesee helped with the distribution today.
This was the first food distribution that was expanded from one box to three. Foodlink had been providing a box for 300 people at the food distributions.
The schedule for June includes:
• Friday, June 12 – Medina Calvary Cupboard, Medina, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
• Friday, June 19 – Community Action, Main Street Store, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
• Friday, June 26 – Holley Community Center, former Save-A-Lot grocery store parking lot, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
This new round of food distributions introduces a new state-funded program called Nourish New York. This funding allows Foodlink to purchase local product.
Some of the Foodlink product also is from the federal USDA’s new initiative called CFAP (Coronavirus Food Assistance Program). In this program, distributors who would normally serve schools, restaurants, and municipal programs are able to pre-pack boxes of perishable product and deliver to distributions being done all over the country, said Melissa Blanar, OFA director in Orleans County.
Three different trucks delivered the food this morning. The boxes were in three groups: mixed dairy, cooked meat and produce. Each box was about 25 pounds.
Jo Canale, left, and Carolyn Flansburg carry boxes to a truck of an elderly resident.
The expanded distributions are expected to continue through August.
Cars are lined up East Park Street, then down McKinistry and Chamberlain streets for the distribution.
The distribution started at 9:30 and by 11 all 900 boxes were gone with 300 people each getting three boxes. There were some extra boxes and some other people were able to get one box. Altogether, 326 vehicles received at least one box.
