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 Mon. to Fri. from 9:00 am-1:00 pm.


Danielle Riggi

Director

Due to changing work responsibilities, Danielle must cut back her hours working at the Food Pantry.  The Pantry is short-staffed as it is, and the people who are working there are giving all they are able.  Would you consider helping out? Once a week? Once every two weeks? Once a month? Morning, evening or both?  Please contact the church office at (518) 767-2243 to sign up. Thank you for supporting this important part of our community!

Hello from the food pantry! I hope everyone is having a great summer! The other night I came across a news article that ranked Albany County near the top on a list of New York counties with the highest rate of food insecurity. The article states that 14.9% of children and 13.8% of those over 60 years of age living in Albany County face food insecurity. Since this article was published earlier in the year, before we were paying almost $5 for a gallon of gas, I think it is safe to assume those numbers have increased. The number of people (“clients”) using our pantry has certainly increased as well. On average we serve 3 new families each month. With the increase in the cost of food and clients, we could use some help.


Below is a list of items we regularly need:

  • Cereal
  • Canned veggies; Canned fruit (have extra from your garden? We love fresh!) 
  • Soup
  • Mac-n-Cheese
  • Juice
  • Pasta and Pasta sauce
  • Pancake Mix
  • Oatmeal
  • Condiments: ketchup, mustard, mayo, salad dressings
  • Brownie or cake mix

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. This webpage allows you to donate directly to our food bank account.


I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it a million more times, our food pantry has the best volunteers and could not be a success without them! If you’re interested in helping out, we’d love to have you. You can reach me by phone, text or email.


Danielle Riggi

driggi@hotmail.com