For the fifth consecutive summer, residents of multiple senior centers and living communities in Glens Falls, Queensbury, and Hudson Falls have the opportunity to receive fresh and often local produce through Comfort Food Community's (CFC) Free Food Run! This market-style van offers fruits and veggies to community members who may otherwise struggle to get to a grocery store due to limited mobility or access to transportation.
For individuals who are housebound and without access to a car, this program has been nothing short of life changing. Not only does it provide them with fresh produce, but it also gets them outside and socializing with others.
"We have some people that are housebound so they don’t have cars; they can't get to stores. This really helps them; it gets them outside, they go out, they pick up their food, they talk with people. It’s a really social interaction and it just uplifts everyone. It’s a really wonderful program," said Karen M. Corlew, a resident of Cedars Senior Living Community.
With more people in need and increasing food prices, CFC activities like the Free Food Run are more important than ever. Since last year, this program alone has seen a 30% increase in the population served with no increase in budget. We rely heavily on food recovery initiatives to supplement this effort, recovering food from local farms to ensure that fresh produce is not going to waste and is instead going to those who need it most.
“We’re incredibly grateful to the generosity of the farmers, volunteers, donors, and grant funding that make this program possible,” explained Joanna Tebbano, manager of the Food Recovery Team here at CFC. “The Free Food Run does so much good, and we would love to expand it even more, but that is largely dependent on our budget.”
As the program continues to grow, we hope to expand its reach even further, bringing fresh produce to even more community members. The Free Food Run is a testament to our commitment to fresh, local food access and it’s making a real difference in the lives of seniors in the community. Learn more about how you can volunteer and donate to support this program!
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