Weekly Food Distributions Set Up in Syracuse to Curb CNY Hunger

Local organizations in Central New York have teamed up for the greater good, keeping residents' pantries (and bellies) full as the community recovers from the financial effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Food Bank of Central New York and the Greater South Side Homeowners Association S.O.U.L. Project are kicking off weekly food distribution drive-thru events every Friday at 2 p.m. in the parking Lot at the corner of South Salina & Wood Ave in Syracuse. The first distribution event is tomorrow, June 19.

The Syracuse Police Department shared more details about the weekly distributions on its Facebook page.

The weekly events are part of the Food Bank of Central New York's Mobile Food Pantry program. The food bank is also continuing to participate in statewide Nourish NY events, and will be a part of a food distrubution in event in Watertown tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Jefferson Community College. Pre-registration is required for the Watertown distribution event, and can be done through Eventbrite.

Since the coronavirus pandemic hit the United States (and Central New York) in March, the number of unemployed Americans in need of financial help has grown substantially. Over 1.5 million people filed for unemployment during the week that ended with June 13, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, which is actually a lesser number than from past weeks. Just at the beginning of June, the number of unemployment claims reached nearly 1.9 million per week.