LITTLE VALLEY — The Little Valley Food Pantry is celebrating its first anniversary at the former Little Valley school at 207 Rock City St. this month.
Food pantry manager Mary Bailey said they couldn’t be happier with their new location. With more space and a better layout, it has enabled the pantry to expand and accommodate the ever-increasing numbers of people in need of food.
The food pantry formerly operated out of the Valley View Baptist Church on the outskirts of town for about 16 years, but outgrew the space because more and more people were coming to the pantry. Bailey, who has managed the pantry for nearly four years, worked there for about six years before taking over when former manager Allie Emerson retired.
“We knew we were outgrowing our space at the church and we had no storage space to speak of,” Bailey said. “Our freezer and refrigerator was kept in a shed quite a ways behind the church. It meant we had to drive back there over a creek and back up to the shed doors to get the frozen goods and dairy products. There was no good place to turn around, so it was quite a job in the wintertime.”
They thought the school would be ideal because it’s in the middle of the village where people could conveniently walk. When they looked the space over, they thought it would be just what they needed.
Last July, Bailey and her volunteers made the move to their new location in the back of the school building on the first floor. She said they now have the convenience of a kitchen, cafeteria, storeroom, walk-in freezer and walk-in cooler. They also have new shelves and other conveniences to work with that they didn’t have at the church.
The 86-year-old Cattaraugus woman and her band of a dozen volunteers dedicate their time and energy to make sure people get the necessary food they need. She thanked her volunteers who she said are all wonderful.
Bailey said the rising cost of food keeps increasing the number of people who come to the pantry. She said they had 50 to 70 people coming each week when they were based at the church. Now they have close to 100 every month, sometimes more.
“Food is expensive and the shelves are often empty at some of the stores. People tell us that our pantry sometimes has things that the stores don’t have,” she said. “With people losing their jobs and being on hard times, largely due to the pandemic, there are many more people who need the food now.”
In addition to food from the Food Distribution Center in Buffalo, the pantry also gets food donations from Walmart and Tops Market in Springville and pizzas from Little Caesars in Salamanca.
According to Bailey, they often have difficulty getting food for the pantry lately because there just isn’t any out there. When they order from the Buffalo pantry, they never know how much food they’ll get because that pantry might be out of some items.
Bailey said the pantry survives on grants and donations. They are hoping to receive a food grant from the Dr. Lyle F. Renodin Foundation through St. Bonaventure University in September, as well as another from the Food Distribution Center.
She said the grants primarily cover the cost of food and equipment. Although their pantry is currently not in need of new equipment, Bailey said they may be looking to buy a much-needed new computer.
“I would like to see the volunteers get a little reimbursement money for their gas and time spent when they make extra food runs to Springville and Salamanca,” she added.
Bailey said they appreciate the monetary donations that enable them to buy more food.
She said they take the donations and go to the grocery store to get whatever they need, if it’s available, to help stock their pantry.
The food pantry is open every Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. A truck brings produce and dairy products the last Thursday each month from 10 a.m. to noon. Bailey said anyone qualifies for food from the truck.
Donations for the food pantry can be mailed to Mary Bailey, 9579 Leon Road, Cattaraugus, NY 14719. For more information or to report someone experiencing a food emergency, call Bailey at (716) 257-3135.