Venture Churches Food Pantry

Open Tuesdays 9:30-11:30 am and 5:00-7:00 pm


Located at:  First Reformed Church of Bethlehem, 38 Church Road (off of Rt. 9W), Selkirk, NY


We are four local churches that have been serving people in our community for over 30 years.  This ministry comes out of our faith and belief in helping fellow people in need.  We recognize each individual has unique needs.  We treat people with respect, dignity, compassion, kindness and without judgment or discrimination.  We provide a bridge to a variety of resources and cooperate with area businesses and other local food pantries.


If you are interested in volunteering at the Food Pantry or are in need of our services, please call the church office (518) 767-2243


Cash/check donations can be mailed to the church (please indicate pantry donation), placed in the pantry mail slot (outside the church office) or placed in the pantry donation basket. We are also a part of the “Adopt a Pantry” program run by the Regional Food Bank. If donating online is easier for you, visit http://regionalfoodbank.net/adopt-a-program. The webpage allows you to donate directly to our food bank account.

We’re looking for caring individuals who can commit just 2 hours a month to help serve our community. The pantry operates on Tuesdays, with two available shifts:

  • Morning: 9:30–11:30 AM
  • Evening:  5:00–7:00 PM

You only need to serve one shift per month—unless you’d like to volunteer more often! If you're interested or have any questions, please contact Diane Miller, our Volunteer Coordinator.

Email: pdmiller93@gmail.com or 518-488-8007 call or text.

In November, Venture Churches Food Pantry provided assistance to 108 people in 44 households. These homes were composed of 25 children, 50 adults, and 33 senior citizens. We welcomed 5 new families this month. Our volunteers gave more than 225 hours of their time to our pantry during this period.


This month was very busy for us as we planned for and distributed 79 Thanksgiving baskets to families. This effort was made possible through a tremendous amount of community support. HMA Contracting provided all the turkeys and baskets which were then supplemented with items from both our pantry and a local grocery partner. Our volunteer team came together, along with some wonderful young students from RCS, to host a drive through distribution on the Saturday before the holiday. We also shared an additional 21 turkeys and pantry items with other groups addressing food insecurity in our communities.


Earlier in the month, we were the recipient of a tremendous donation collected by local Cub Scout Pack 232 and Boy Scout Troop 75 as part of their annual Scouting for Food Drive. These youngsters and their adults both collected and then helped sort a huge variety of pantry and personal care items. R. Finke Equipment also delivered their yearly holiday food drive collection which was a huge help in restocking our shelves. These efforts, along with those of the individuals who support us in a myriad of ways, on an ongoing basis, made the Thanksgiving holiday a joyous one for many families. We are hugely thankful for all the support we receive that make our mission possible. This work could not be done without each of you!


For the next month we will be collecting the following: 

  • Dish soap 
  • Detergent 
  • Cleaning products 

History of our Food Pantry

To see a need and fill it is a good business plan. It is also good church outreach. In the mid 1980's, Arlene Jordan saw that there were families in our area that did not have adequate food. She approached our then Pastor, Al Janssen with a plan to assist those families. Gifts of food and holiday meal kits wer e delivered. And the Food Pantry began in one small room downstairs.


Soon Eleanor Weideman and Ray Hohl became involved. In the early 1990's a group of 4 churches gathered with the goal of doing ecumenical good works. Calling themselves the Venture Churches, they set three goals. They set up a "Clothing Closet " at the Clarksville Reformed Church, they created a schedule of meal support for the Albany Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless (IPH). and they offered to help staff and support the food pantry housed at First Reformed Church of Bethlehem.


The food pantry grew to two rooms. One for shopping and the other to store additional goods, Peg Phillips and then Sarah Hafensteiner each took a turn at leading and growing this ministry.


As the needs of the community grew, so did the pantry. Under the leadership of Carol Broderick (with Tricia Kandafer as grant writer) the pantry joined with other pantries and came under the umbrella of the Food Bank of the Greater Northeast.


Our space was renovated by a local Boy Scout as his Eagle project. What had been a single room with three wooden shelves of canned food and dry goods is now several rooms with wire shelf units. Food is organized by nutrition type. Three freezers and two refrigerators offer meat, dairy and fresh produce items. Danielle Riggi took over leadership when Carol retired due to illness.


Our current leadership is a triumvirate of women who bring new skills and energy. Lisa Lafountain, Diane Miller and Jackie Wilkie keep a team of volunteers, several rooms of food, personal and household items and school supplies ready to serve our clients. The latest addition is a stair chair device that makes it easier for those with mobility issues to access the pantry.


Besides our monthly purchases from the food bank, we get produce and dairy items from Hudson Harvest. The Delmar Hannaford donates bakery and deli items every Tuesday. This allows us to share nutritious food with our neighbors. We continue now as The Venture Churches Food Pantry but are staffed by volunteers from many churches and the community.


All of this because one person said "People are hungry. How can we help?"