NNYCF gives $20,000 in grant support to Lowville Food Pantry for new freezer

WATERTOWN, N.Y. (WWTI) – The Northern New York Community Foundation is helping the Lowville Food Pantry thanks to $20,000 in grant support.

In an announcement from the NNYCF, The Lowville Food Pantry will soon be able to increase its capacity to serve clients thanks in part to $20,000 in Community Foundation grant support to purchase and install a new walk-in freezer at the Trinity Avenue facility.

The food pantry has seen a steady uptick in the number of neighbors in need it serves, which often reaches several hundred clients a month as need among the most vulnerable in the community increases.

The new 360-square-foot walk-in freezer will enable the pantry to focus on completing additional facility improvements while reducing food spoilage and improving client service by providing more quality foods to those it serves.

We really appreciate partners like the Community Foundation. It’s nice to have strong local support for our mission that’s made possible by people who take time to visit our facility to know and understand our needs and how to support them.

Lowville Food Pantry Board President Mike Hanno

The NNYCF’s grant support includes $5,000 from the George R. Davis Fund for Lowville.

According to Hanno, the walk-in freezer, itself a nearly $100,000 project, will also enable the pantry to end its reliance on several older, small chest freezers that are a bigger burden on the facility’s utility costs.

The freezer is expected to arrive by the end of this month with installation in August. Site preparation and utility work will begin next week.

The pantry is open weekdays and offers emergency services after hours and on weekends.

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