The Samaritan Center in Chemung County
Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 10 am – 3:30 pm; Tuesday & Thursday: 1 pm – 3:30 pm
Location: The Samaritan Center, 380 S. Main St. Elmira, NY 14904
Contact: 607.734.4898
We provide individuals and families with emergency food as needed. Bread and produce are provided during regular hours as well.
If you would like to help by donating items, please click here for our list of much-needed items during this time.
Schuyler Outreach
Hours: Tuesday: 9 am—2 pm; Thursday: Noon—4 pm, Friday: 9 am—2 pm
Location: Schuyler Outreach, 112 Tenth St, Watkins Glen, NY
Contact: 607.535.2815
We provide individuals and families with emergency food as needed. Bread and produce are provided during regular hours.
Schuyler Outreach is a proud member of the Schuyler County Food Distribution Network.
If you would like to help by donating items, please click here for our list of much-needed items during this time.
FOOD BANK VS. FOOD PANTRY – What’s the Difference?
Many communities have a local “food pantry,” sometimes mistakenly called a “food bank.” Most of these community food pantries are sponsored by local area churches and/or community coalitions. A community food pantry’s mission is to “directly serve local residents who suffer from hunger and food insecurity within a specified area.” Independent community food pantries are self-governing and usually distribute food to their clients on a once-a-month basis. This is how The Samaritan Center and Schuyler Outreach operate.
A food bank is a storehouse for millions of pounds of food and other products that go out to the community. A food pantry functions as the arms that reach out to that community directly.
The Food Bank of the Southern Tier’s mission is to “feed the hungry” by providing food to these food pantries for distribution into their respective communities. The Food Bank’s daily operation consists of sourcing and gathering food, sorting and cataloging the food, then warehousing the inventory to be distributed to over 160 member agencies throughout a six-county service area in the Southern Tier.
Food banks and food pantries—they are not the same. But they share the same commitment. The Food Bank of the Southern Tier is proud of their partnership with our food pantries who act on the belief that nobody should ever go hungry. For more information on The Food Bank of the Southern Tier, contact them at 607.796.6061.