Our Service Project

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"We sing to feed them all, the family in need.   

We sing to answer every prayer a mother cannot heed. 

We sing to touch the noble heart and raise the siren's call.   

We sing to feed each hungry child.   

We sing to feed them all."

Shakespeare said "the meaning of  life is to find your gift and the purpose of life is to give your gift away."

Our gift is singing and performing and we are dedicated to using our music to make life better here in our community of Central New York with a main focus on providing food to our neighbors in need.

Using our gifts we raise awareness (the siren's call) and funds to actually Feed our neighbors.  We support the Food Bank of Central New York and the many Food Pantries that distribute the much needed sustenance to people in need.

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 Food Bank of Central New York is committed to providing a wide variety of nutritious food. We are able to complement donated food with food we purchase for our inventory. Due to our vendor agreements, we are able to purchase large amounts of high-demand foods and offer them to our partner agencies at cost. The Food Bank maintains an inventory of 100 core food items available to programs at all times.

We rely on food donations from food manufacturers, grocers, wholesalers, local farmers, businesses, and individuals to supplement our food inventory. These donations help stretch our partner agencies’ food budgets and enhance their inventories.

Additionally, The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) provides commodity foods, meats, vegetables, and fruits to the Food Bank for the emergency food programs

 Our food distribution center is 74,000 square feet: 25,000 square feet for refrigerated/frozen foods and 36,000 square feet for dry goods. Our transportation staff make door to door deliveries to the emergency food network Monday through Friday within our eleven county service area: Cayuga, Chenango, Cortland, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, and St. Lawrence. 

 The core of our work is achieved by partnering with our local member agencies that distribute food to families in need. The key partners that make up our emergency food network are food pantries, soup kitchens, and emergency shelters. Other not-for-profit agencies such as daycare centers, rehabilitation centers, senior centers, and group homes are able to utilize membership as a way to supplement their agency food needs. 

 The Difference... and the Partnership!

Food banks are often times mistaken for food pantries. Unlike pantries, most food banks do not distribute food directly to the public. A food bank is a warehouse and distribution center where food is solicited, received, inventoried, and then distributed to local pantries and soup kitchens.

A pantry is a charity that distributes food and grocery products directly to those in need. Pantries have the responsibility to seek out and help individuals and families receive food. Food banks act as the supply line and are responsible for ensuring that their member pantries have the resources they need to feed those seeking help.

Food Bank of Central New York is a 74,000 square foot warehouse and office space where we acquire and accommodate large quantities of food purchased at bulk or wholesale prices. This allows us to resell food to our partner agencies at cost, which is about three times cheaper than retail price. The Food Bank services 443 programs including 280 emergency food programs across eleven counties in central and northern New York.

The Food Bank also provides direct services to clients through programs such as Fresh Foods, Food $en$e, Kids Cafe, and Summer Food Service. In addition, we also engage in community outreach through SNAP that not only feeds hungry people but helps give them the building blocks to break the cycle of poverty.

Food banks and food pantries are not the same but they are partners that share the same commitment: helping to feed the hungry.