Help the Guilderland Food Pantry SCORE A WIN for our community. After Game Day festivities are over, bring us your empties! More details.
In Need of Food Assistance?
Guilderland Food Pantry
Open Monday through Saturday
9:30am - 11:00am
Serving the areas of Guilderland, Altamont,
Voorheesville, Slingerlands,
Albany (zip code 12203), and Schenectady (zip code 12303).
Most Needed Items:
We are currently in need of the following items:
Canned Fruit
Food donations can be dropped off at the pantry during regular hours or left in the collection bin located outside the pantry.
NOTE: Please help us by checking “Best By / Use By” dates before donating to the pantry. We cannot accept items that have expired.
News & Events
Bi-Monthly Newsletter
January 2026
EVENTS
February 1, 2026 - The 2nd Annual 'Heat is On' Chili, Soup and Chowder event was held at the Westmere Firehouse on Sunday, February 1. Representatives of the Guilderland Food Pantry were there, and we had a great time meeting a bunch of folks who support the pantry. Our thanks to Bess, Meaghan and Cheryl for volunteering at the pantry table. And, special thanks go to Lisa from Bountiful Bread for making our chili!
December 29, 2025 - The Guilderland Food Pantry is partnering with Benson's Pet Center on Wolf Road in Colonie to collect food donations for people and pets! There are TWO ways you can help:1. Bring a non-perishable food item to their store and drop it in the donation box, or2. When visiting Benson's Pet Center, pick up an extra can(s) of pet food and drop it in the donation box on your way out.Thank you to Benson's and their customers for their continued support!
JANUARY, 2026 UPDATE:
We collected 1,355 bottles / cans in January for a grand total of 45,466 collected to-date!
Thanks to our wonderful community, all proceeds from returned bottles and cans (with NYS deposits) are used to support GFP programs.Details on the bottles & cans donation program.
News
February 2, 2026 - Girl Scout Troop 5110 stopped by our pantry and donated 192 pounds of food that they collected. While they were here, the girls got to take a tour of the pantry and they asked some very good questions. Not only was it an awesome learning experience for them, but also a great service for our community! Thank you girls!
January 22, 2026 - Jim Gade from Gade Farm presented the Guilderland Food Pantry with a donation check from the Farm Bureau. He also donated 100 pounds of produce. Our many thanks to Jim and Gade Farm for their continued support!
January 20, 2026 - Chad and the team from Aevitas Fitness presented us with a check for $705 and donated over 100 pounds of food to support our mission. Thank you to all who contributed to make this donation possible!
January 19, 2026 - Members of the Guilderland Elks Lodge #2480 stopped by recently and presented the Guilderland Food Pantry with a check for $3,500 to support the Backpack program. Thank you!
December 29, 2025 - We extend many thanks to BAPS Charities for conducting a food drive for the Guilderland Food Pantry. They collected and donated 340 pounds of food! We are so very grateful for their generous donation.
December 28, 2025 - Guilderland Boys U-12 Baseball Team conducted a food drive in support of the pantry. They collected and donated 240 pounds of food. Way to go, guys! Thank you!
December 27, 2025 - The Shuffleboard league at The Summit at Mill Hill adult living community recently made a financial donation to the pantry. Thank you to everyone who contributed!
December 18, 2025 - Once again this year, the Farnsworth Middle School community participated in a “Cereal Domino Challenge”. 1,367 boxes of cereal were collected for this awesome and fun event. Afterwards, Jon Phillips and his crew at Phillips Hardware gathered up all of the cereal boxes and delivered them to the Pantry. Thank you to all who made this donation possible!
December, 2025 - TOYS FOR TOTS - Since 1947, the Marine Corps and Toys for Tots has been making a difference. This week, they stopped by the pantry to collect a box filled to the brim with new, unwrapped toys.The Guilderland Food Pantry would like to thank everyone who donated toys during our collection drive in November!
December 3, 2025 - Santa and Mrs. Claus stopped by our table at Stuyvesant Plaza for the annual "Light the Night" event held on Saturday, November 22. The Guilderland Food Pantry was a featured organization and we received almost 300 pounds of food along with monetary donations. Our thanks to everyone who stopped by!
Testimonials
The Guilderland Food Pantry's commitment to addressing food insecurity has made a real impact on the families we serve in our community. Whether it is a handwritten thank-you note or an online testimonial, we love hearing from them!
Ways to Give
Cash Donations
Cash or check donations may be dropped off at the Pantry during our regular hours, or mailed to:Guilderland Food Pantry
P.O. Box 7
Guilderland NY 12084
Venmo Donations
Cash donations can also be made via this Venmo link or by scanning our Venmo QR code below:
Credit Card Donations
Credit card donations can be made online.
Food Donations
Food donations can be dropped off at the pantry during our regular hours or left in the collection bin located outside the pantry.Acceptable:
• Non-perishable foods which include, but are not limited to:Canned Meat, Fish, Vegetables, Fruit, Beans
Pasta, Rice, Mac & Cheese
Peanut Butter, Jelly
Cereal, Oatmeal
Pancake Mix, Muffin Mix
Spaghetti Sauce
Stuffing
Juice
Nuts
Soup• Seasonal homegrown garden vegetables and fruitWe also accept Pet Food donations.
-------------------------Unacceptable:
• Any items with a Use By or Best By date that has expired *
• Home-made food and baked goods
• Items in glass containers
• Vitamins
• Medicine (such as OTC cough syrup, cough drops, Tylenol, etc.)
• Alcoholic beverages
• Bulk items (such as a 5 lb. bag of rice)
• Items that have been previously opened and/or damaged* All donated items are verified by pantry staff to confirm expiration dates before being placed on shelves for giving. Items that have expired must be thrown in the trash and are extra work for volunteers. Please help us by checking “Best By / Use By” dates before donating to the pantry.
Bottle & Can Donations
Bring us your empties!CLYNK is a clean and easy way to return NYS deposit bottles/cans at Hannaford, AND it can be used to donate to the the pantry. There are two ways you can donate through this program:1. Drop off your bottles/cans with NYS deposits at the pantry. We then CLYNK bag them and return them to Hannaford, who counts them and places the refund on our account.OR2. If you have a CLYNK account, you can accumulate funds in your personal CLYNK account. When you’re ready to donate, log in to your account and visit the “Donations” tab. Under “Donate Part or All of Your Balance”, search for Guilderland Food Pantry and click on our name. Then click on the green “Choose Amount” button. Enter how much you’d like to donate and click “Continue”. Confirm the amount and you’re done!
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 “Mac” 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
Tim Morrison, Esq.
Julie Tidd
Robert Baker, CPA
Doug Martin
Sandra Roddy
Carmen Aybar
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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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