In need of Food Assistance?
Guilderland Food Pantry
π 518-930-1001
π4 Charles Blvd, Guilderland, NY 12084
Open Monday through Saturday
9:30am - 11:00am
~~ GFP MOST WANTED LIST ~~
July 31, 2024β§ Mayonnaise β§ Cake Mix w/ Frosting β§
β§ Brownie Mix β§ Canned Beets β§
Serving the areas of Guilderland, Altamont, Voorheesville, Slingerlands, Albany, and Schenectady.
September/October News
See all upcoming events and the latest news here - there is a lot!
News & Events
Guilderland Volleyball Food Drive
The Guilderland Boys Volleyball team will be holding a food drive at their game vs. Burnt Hills on Wednesday, September 25 at 4:15pm.Among the items being collected:- Microwavable Mac-n-Cheese
- Microwavable Ravioli/Pasta
- Tuna Fish Pouches
- Cereal Cups
- Instant Oatmeal
- Juice Boxes
Register Round-Up
Once again, Robinson ACE Hardware on Western Ave. is supporting the Pantry through their Register Round UP program. Throughout September, when you check out, ask them to "round up" your total to the next whole dollar amount (for example, if you owe $12.15, you can ask them to "round up" to $13.00). The difference will be donated to the Pantry (in the example given, that would be 85 cents).These small "round up" amounts add up over the course of a month, so it's a great way to support GFP!Support a local business instead of a big box national store, and help support the Pantry at the same time!!
Bottle & Can Donations
Have you ever heard of CLYNK?Well we have! Bring us your empties & we will bring them to Hannaford in a CLYNK bag & get funds deposited into our account. If we are not here, you can drop them off in our regular donation bin.If more convenient, you can do the same & donate your proceeds to the Pantry in the CLYNK app.UPDATE: we just surpassed 10,100 empties donated, which translates to $505 towards the purchase of food. Keep them coming!
News
September 9 -- Our 45th Anniversary Celebration was held on Sept 19th and was a great success, raising over $12K to help support the food pantry! Over 200 people attended and enjoyed food, music, fun and games and a few speeches as well. Thanks to all our sponsors, restaurants, donors, volunteers and those who attended.
September 9 -- The Hernandez family and friends donated $421 from a lemonade stand they held last weekend. An amazing effort to benefit others in the community!
June 22 -- Once again, our annual Raymour & Flanagan fundraiser was a great success! Thank you to the Raymour and Flanigan team for supporting GFP with a donation of $500.
June 20 -- The Hamilton Union Church 200th Anniversary Food Drive has ended and was a wild success!They reached 100% of their goal by collecting 2600 food items totaling 2996 pounds o for the food pantry.Thank you! π
Old News ;-)
May 17 -- Thanks to the Pinebush Elementary School community and the PTA for coordinating a food drive. They collected and delivered 190 pounds of food to GFP! πͺ
May 5 -- Thank you to Phillips Hardware, Altamont Enterprise, local businesses, and community members who donated to the Holiday Lights event in Altamont. GFP received a donation of $2750. Wow!
May 3 -- Update on the generous donation we received from AHA: With the funds, we purchased a new commercial freezer, a new commercial refrigerator and 1500 pounds of food! π
May 1 -- Guilderland Elementary School Giving Day was a wild success! Students collected 370 pounds of food to donate to the pantry. The 5th Grade Student Council delivered the donation and got to tour the pantry. Thank you Guilderland Elementary students!
April 16 -- A big 'thank you' to Stewart's Shops for their Holiday Match Program donation. This gift was used to purchase food for our school 'backpack' program. To learn more about their contributions program go to their Community Giving website.
April 9 -- Thanks to Westmere Elementary School for completing a great food drive to support our 'backpack' program and to volunteers from the Crossgates Macy's store who helped unload, sort and stock the food.
March 27 -- Thanks to a grant from AHA Inc. we were able to purchase a new commercial freezer and fridge! They are being delivered on Monday.This will give us more cold storage space for produce (will extend the life) and more freezer space to store case lot goods. This will also allow us to shut down a couple of the older residential units which are not energy efficient and have less capacity. We will be keeping these for emergencies.
March 6 -- The Hamilton Union Church food drive starts next week and runs until May with the goal of collecting 2,000 items to be donated to GFP in celebration of their 200th anniversary. Here we see Mac, Pastor Kyle, GFP Volunteer Cindy Schultz, and some of the donations already collected.
February 27 -- Eat this up: we sold 244 bundt cakes in two weeks, raising over $500 for the pantry in the process! We could not have done it without you. Thanks to all those who donated!
February 24 -- The Bundt cake fundraiser is now over. Thank you to everyone who supported the pantry with their purchase. π
February 18 -- GFP received a grant from AHA Labs to purchase new commercial refrigeration equipment. Randi from AHA presented the check to food pantry volunteers. Thank you!
December 28 -- Santa joined pantry volunteers to hand out over 200 Christmas meal bags to our families. Everyone had a great time and the families were blessed with a great meal. Special thanks to Hannaford and Bimbo bakery for donating hams and rolls for the meal- great community support.
December 27 -- Coach Nate Sabourin and the Guilderland Stingers Softball 10u team packed 200 Christmas meal bags for pantry families. Great job and a huge help as we blessed our families for the holiday.
December 26 -- Farnsworth Middle School's annual cereal domino challenge. 978 boxes were donated and made a great hallway run. Principal Mike Laster and his team did an awesome job making this happen for the third year. Thanks to Jon Phillips for helping to transport all the boxes back to the pantry.
December 23 -- We filled two Toys for TotsΒ boxes this holiday season! Thank you to all who contributed toys and gifts for families in need. What a blessing to local families. ππ
December 15 -- Store owner Rob McDonnell from Robinson ACE presented GFP a check for $1554 from the register roundup program. Thank you Rob and Robinsonβs Hardware! π
December 9 -- Kenneth Sochor from Ballston Spa National Bank presents GFP a check for $500 to help provide for the food needs of our community. Thank you! π
December 1 -- The Toys for Tots program is in full swing. We have received many donations and are now on our second box. Please share with family and friends that the last day to give is Saturday, December 9th. Help make a child's Christmas special! π
November 30 -- A big thank you to the team from Graypoint for their collection and donation of 945 pounds of food for the pantry. π
November 22 -- Thank you to all the volunteers who helped distribute 185 Thanksgiving meals. π₯¦π₯π½
November 5 -- Once again, the Pantry is collecting gifts on behalf of Toys for Tots! Come by the Pantry to drop off gifts for those less fortunate. π π
October 24 -- Our Taste of Guilderland event was a rousing success! Thank you to everyone who assisted and to those who were able to attend. It was a fun event that helped raise over $7000 for the pantry! π
October 11 -- The Guilderland High School Boys Volleyball team conducted a food drive and collected 172 lbs. of food for the backpack program. Thank you to the team and to all who participated!
October 11 -- The Redeemer Church bottle/can drive was a great success! 2,726 empties were collected, resulting in a donation of $136.30 to the pantry. Thank you!
September 27 -- The Guilderland Farmers Market table event was a great success! We raised $362 in donations. Thank you to all the vendors who donated to the raffle and to all those who bought raffle tickets!
September 18 -- Calling all high school students!If you know of any high school students who might like to volunteer as a server on October 17 at our Taste of Guilderland event, please call the Pantry at 518-930-1001. This is a great opportunity for students to give back to their community! (and it also looks great on college applications π)
September 12 -- Redeemer Church is holding a bottle/can drive during the month of September to benefit the Guilderland Food Pantry. Drop off your empties on Sundays at 9am and 11am at the Schoolhouse Road location.
September 3 -- Once again, Robinson's ACE Hardware on Western Ave. is supporting the Pantry through their Register Round-Up program. Throughout September, when you check out, ask them to "round up" your total to the next whole dollar amount (for example, if you owe $12.15, you can ask them to "round up" to $13.00). The difference will be donated to the Pantry (in the example given, that would be 85 cents).These small "round up" amounts add up over the course of a month, so it's a great way to support GFP!Support a local business instead of a big box national store, and help support the Pantry at the same time!!
September 1 -- The CROP Walk made over $100K in total donations of which 25% stays local and is divided among participating teams. This year, we received a check for $500. Nice job to all who participated!
August 23 -- Robinson Hardware isΒ a long time supporter and donor to the Pantry. So please consider supporting them at the upcoming BBQ Fest at Allied Brewing. It is sure to be a fun event worth checking out! Registration closes this Friday so register ASAP if you are interested.
August 7 -- Here are Alex and Brett presenting Mac with a check for $1,382! We think it's safe to say that their 4x4x48 Challenge was a smashing success!
August 2 -- We collected 5,249 bottles & cans for our July Bottle Drive, which is amazing!But, if you did not have a chance to bring your empties in during the month of July, you can bring them in anytime throughout the year, at your convenience. Just drop them off at the Pantry during our normal hours, or leave them in the bin outside the Pantry during hours when we are not there...It's another easy way to help support the pantry!
August 1 -- Look at this fresh produce donation from the Albany County Cornell Cooperative Extension. Delicious and healthy! π€€
August 1 -- Pastor Matthew and children from the Helderberg Reformed, Altamont Reformed, Hamilton Union and New Covenant Presbyterian put together 80 bags for the backpack program. Each has tuna, cereal, mac & cheese, ravioli and more. Thank you for your kindness! π
July 26 -- July Bottle Drive update: 3,504 empties collected so far.Our goal is to reach 5,000, so if you have empty water/soda/beer bottles or cans, every little bit helps!Remember:
1 can= 5 cents
20 cans= $1
$1= 5 meals!!!You can drop them off at the pantry or call for pickup! π
July 24 -- Alex & Brett have successfully completed the 4x4x48 challenge, and in doing so have raised over $1,300 for the Pantry - wow!!! πππWhat an impressive feat and an impressive act of generosity on their part. Thank you Brett and Alex! π
July 22 --Β We had a great day at Raymour and Flanigan where we met some nice people and brought home a total donation amount of $657 for the Pantry!Below you will see Raymour and Flanigan store manager Kaz Whalid and his team presenting a check to the pantry for $500.Great event and partnership!
July 18 -- The 4x4x48 Challenge consists of running 4 miles every 4 hrs for 48 hrs! Who would do this? Well, Guilderland's own Alex & Brett, who are running to raise money for the Pantry!Click here & select "Alex 4x4x48 Challenge" in the Designation drop down to support Alex and the Pantry. Thank you!
July 13 -- Here is Mac just prior to our first trip to the recycling center, posing with 1,944 empty bottles and cans! We are off to a great start with our bottle drive - keep the empties coming!! β»οΈ
Ways to Give
Cash Donations
Monetary donations may be made online, dropped off at the Pantry during our regular hours, or mailed to:Guilderland Food Pantry
P.O. Box 7
Guilderland NY 12084
Food Donations
Click here to view our shopping list on Amazon to order products that can be shipped directly to the pantryNon-perishable food items can also be dropped of at the pantry during our regular hours (see above) or left in the collection bin located outside the pantry.
About Us
The Guilderland Food Pantry has been serving the food insecure in Guilderland since 1979. We are members of the NE New York Regional Food Bank, Food Pantries of the Capital District and the Guilderland Chamber of Commerce and are registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit with the State of New York.
John βMacβ McDonnell
Executive Director
Mac is a life-long Guilderland resident with a servant's heart committed to making Guilderland a great place to live for all our residents by ensuring that the challenge of food insecurity is addressed and eliminated.
Board of Directors
Our Board provides general oversight of GFP administrative operations and supports the day to day efforts of Mac and the front line volunteers.
John 'Mac' McDonnell, Exec. Director
Brian Rutherford, Chairperson
Bev Currier, Vice Chair
Tim Morrison, Esq.
Robert Baker, CPA
Mark Audino
Doug Martin
Sandra Roddy, Accounting
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Front-line Volunteers
Guilderland Food Pantry is powered by a group of hard-working and dedicated volunteers. These heroes receive, catalog and pack food for client distribution, complete home deliveries, prepare food backpacks for school aged children, prepare holiday food baskets and work tirelessly to ensure no one in our community goes hungry.
There is no better way to give back to your community than serving. We have a variety of ways you can help from serving in the pantry, delivering food, helping with holiday meals, etc. If interested please contact the pantry by filling out the volunteer form, sending us an email or calling us at 518-930-1001.
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