This month, the CFOC Nonprofit Spotlight features Community Cupboard of Edmeston.

From its beginning in 2017 as a small food pantry serving the Edmeston School District and working to improve access to food services in a rural community, Community Cupboard of Edmeston has grown to serve friends and neighbors from five counties and becoming an access point for fresh produce and dairy for other food pantries in Otsego County.

Community Cupboard’s mission is clear – “Combating food insecurity with compassion and care by providing access to nutritious foods, fresh produce, and other necessities to all who need it while preserving an individual’s dignity.” To achieve these goals, they offer varied programs designed to offer support to everyone who is facing food insecurity. Those programs are:

• Community Cupboard Food Pantry – located at 9 West St, Edmeston, the Food Pantry serves all neighbors who come to them for food supports. The pantry is open 5 days a week and allows neighbors to choose what they will use off the shelves, or out of the coolers, and freezers.
• “Community Cupboard on the Go” –  the mobile arm of Community Cupboard. In partnership with Chobani, the Mobile Food Pantry (MFP) travels to areas throughout Otsego and Chenango counties. MFP was created exclusively to bring food access into and closer to communities experiencing food insecurity.
• Last-Mile Deliveries – a program that helps neighbors who cannot travel to pick up food from local pantries. The greatest demographic of neighbors served are senior citizens or those who have disabilities that prevent them from driving.
• The HUB – a service which offers fresh produce and dairy products to local pantries. This allows Community Cupboard to stock additional fresh produce and dairy products for pantries that struggle with storage capacities. These local programs can then offer a greater variety of healthy choices to their neighbors.

By fighting food insecurity and working to empower neighbors and communities, Community Cupboard has made a commitment to support them as well. Since opening its doors, Community Cupboard has been innovative in responding to a problem or major crisis that looks different in every community. Their goal is to continue this mission and help as many as possible along the way.

Content provided by Community Cupboard of Edmeston.

For more information, volunteer opportunities, or needed support, please contact the pantry at communitycupboard.cc or on Facebook at facebook.com/ccofedmeston.