Real stories of real change
From impactful volunteer events to inspiring stories of advocacy and change, see what’s new with the Food Bank of the Southern Tier. You can also stay up to date on all the latest stories by subscribing to our Harvester Newsletter.
On Thursday, October 2, the Food Bank of the Southern Tier hosted our annual Harvest Celebration, a special evening dedicated to honoring our more than 300 partner agencies for the life-changing work they do every day to nourish and strengthen our communities. Each year, the Harvest Celebration brings together food pantries, meal programs, Mobile Food [...]
You help people with firsthand experience of food insecurity find their voices and lead change in their communities through the Food Bank’s Community Advocates Program, called CAP. Since its start in 2016, the program has grown to empower Southern Tier residents to advocate for themselves and others and debunk myths about food insecurity. Having these [...]
Christina grew up knowing how to stretch a dollar, and how it felt to go without. Christina brushed her teeth with bottled water her senior year of high school because her family didn’t have running water. Her mom made spaghetti stretch with just a few pieces of chicken for Christina and her three brothers, not [...]
On Tuesday, August 12, the Food Bank of the Southern Tier hosted its annual Volunteer Appreciation Picnic. The room was filled with laughter, stories, and the familiar faces of those who give so much of their time and energy to make a difference in our community. Over the past year, the volunteer program has continued [...]
Meet Nordia, a Community Service Director for her church. When the Covid-19 pandemic started, her church became one of the key points of distribution for delivery of Community Food Boxes. After a year of deliveries, she was encouraged by the church community to open a food pantry at the church. To support the development of [...]
The recent passage of the federal budget reconciliation bill marks a significant shift in national priorities related to nutrition assistance and healthcare. While the full implications of the legislation are still being assessed, we recognize that changes to programs such as SNAP and Medicaid will have a substantial impact on the individuals and families we [...]
This week, we welcomed Congressman Josh Riley to the Ithaca High School Community Market, one of our partner School Food Centers, and the Ithaca City School District Nutrition Services facility. This was an opportunity to see the important work of normalizing food access our partners in K-12 education do every day. This visit comes at [...]
Thank you to all the hard-working staff and cashiers, along with the incredibly generous customers for making the 2024 Check Out Hunger campaign successful, totaling over 600,000 meals! For 31 years, the Southern Tier has been coming together at the grocery store for Wegmans Check Out Hunger customer campaigns. Together, you, the customers, have come [...]
"Thank you for all that you do and for being so concerned about veterans.” - Veteran Food Pantry Recipient. Since the opening of the veterans-focused food pantry at the Bath VA Finger Lakes Healthcare System in February 2024, the site has been serving about 250 individuals per month, shares Melissa Murrey, MS, RDN, CSG, FLX [...]
On March 6, 2025, 100 employees from Corning Incorporated came together for the Corning Leader of the Pack event, demonstrating their commitment to ending hunger in the Southern Tier. Through teamwork, enthusiasm, and a shared mission, participants packed over 4,800 BackPack bags filled with nourishing food, ready for distribution to children at risk of hunger [...]
