Standing Together Through SNAP Suspension

What we're doing and how you can help

The Greenwich Food Pantry, operated by CFC

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides food benefits to low-income families to supplement their grocery budget so they can afford nutritious food essential to health and well-being.  

At this time, the United States Department of Agriculture has stated that there will be no SNAP benefits issued on November 1^st. This suspension of SNAP benefits will affect thousands of people across our community, alongside the increased work requirements that are unrelated to the suspension. People will be looking for ways to fill the gap created by the loss of these benefits. 

Food pantries, non-profits, and charities cannot make up for the anticipated loss of these benefits alone. We appreciate your patience, understanding, and compassion as we work to meet current and expanded needs, provide resources, and secure additional funding.  

While we do not know exactly what impact this will have on our programs and services yet, we do know that people will look to us for support and resources. We have compiled a list of our services and other resources to use, share, and learn more. 

Comfort Food Community Resources: 

Produce Prescription Program: 

We have recently joined the Social Care Network (SCN) in our region - a network of health, behavioral health, and social care providers. This network can provide eligible Medicaid members with free transportation, housing, and nutrition services, and could be a valuable resource during this time.  

Through SCN, we are expanding our Produce Prescription Program to provide food vouchers for eligible Medicaid members for enough food to purchase 3 meals a day, 7 days a week, for up to 6 months. To participate in this program, you must be screened for social needs and eligibility through Healthy Alliance. To get screened, you can fill out a form at https://www.healthyalliance.org/screened/ or call 518-379-0233. 

If you have any questions regarding the Produce Prescription Program, please contact Elizabeth, our Food as Medicine Coordinator at 518-746-4118 or at elizabeth@comfortfoodcommunity.org.  

Our Food Pantries: 

Greenwich Food Pantry open Monday 4:00-7:00pm, Wednesday 9:00 –11:00am and 4:00-7:00pm  

Address: 2530 Route 40, Greenwich, NY 12834 

Cossayuna Pantry open Tuesdays 3:30 – 5:30pm  

Address: Cossayuna Fire Department, 21 Bunker Hill Rd. 

Eligibility: Must reside within the Greenwich School District or live in the Town of Greenwich, Easton, Cossayuna, or Argyle Election District 3. 

Supplemental Student Nutrition Program, or the Backpack Program:  

CFC offers free, year-round weekend and school vacation meal delivery to students in the Greenwich Central School District. If your children are part of a different school district, reach out to the school to ask about their “Backpack Program.”  

To learn more about our program contact Cathy at (518) 859-6769 or cshawhebert@gmail.com 

Have questions or are feeling stressed? Call us! We’re here for you: 

The Community Health Team accepts incoming referrals from providers as well as self-referred individuals in the region to help connect people to food assistance services and other services beyond emergency food. Our toolbox includes a regional referrals platform, as well as direct knowledge of enrollment processes for benefits, assistance with housing searches, and advocacy at Social Services.  

For resource navigation, you can contact Lyndsey, our Community Health Manager at (518) 530-9299 or lyndsey@comfortfoodcommunity.org  

Other resources in our community:  

• Lifeworks Community Action in Ballston Spa, NY: A non-profit that works to alleviate poverty at the local level in Saratoga County and the Northern Capital Region with Head Start Programs, energy services, family services, food programs, immigrant services, and WIC services.  

• Healthy Alliance, Social Care Network 

• LEAP of Washington County, NY: A non-profit community action agency that serves all of Washington County, New York. They have an emergency food pantry and are able to provide emergency assistance. Please call 518-746-2391 or email assistance@leapservices.org for more information, to access the pantry, and gain the support and tools to help you avoid and prevent hunger 

• Cambridge Food Pantry: Open Wednesday 1:00-3:00 pm Friday 4:00-6:00 pm Saturday 11:00-1:00pm, open to Cambridge School District Residents.  

• North Country Ministry Food Pantry: Open Wednesday, 1:00 – 3:00 pm, and 6:00 – 7:00 pm 

• SAFER Food Pantry of Schuylerville: Open Monday 9:00am-12:00pm, and Friday 9:00am –12:00pm, open to Schuylerville School District families 

• The Salvation Army in Glens Falls, NY Food Pantry: open Monday through Friday 9:00 – 4:00 pm. They also have a senior meal delivery program, for more information you can contact their Volunteer Coordinator, Vicky Beaury at vicky.beaury@use.salvationarmy.org 

Online Resources:  

• The Food Pantries Food Connect Map: an interactive map to find food pantries, community meal/soup kitchens, mobile food resources, WIC / SNAP assistance, and period pantries The Food Pantries Food Connect Map  

• New York State Food and Nutrition Program Information: Resources for Working Families | OTDA 

• Tri-County United Way Resource Guide: TCUW_Resource-Guide2024_F2_Web.pdf 

How you can help:  

• Donate to help us support the current and expanded need. This will be critical during this time as we are able to purchase food wholesale, feeding more people for less.   

• Host a food drive or donate non-perishable foods or paper products like paper towels or toilet paper. 

• Share resources like the Food Pantries Food Connect Map with people in your community. 

• Volunteer at CFC or with your local food pantry. 

• Check in with people in your community, see how they are doing, and offer support if you can.  

We believe that everyone deserves access to fresh, nutritious food, and we will continue to fight to make that happen.