A number of food banks, soup kitchens for hot meals and free emergency food pantries in Utica, New York distribute groceries to individuals or families who are in some form of an emergency situation.
There are also meals, free bags of food, personal toiletries and household goods for low to moderate income families from food pantries near you.
Distribution centers can include churches, non-profit organizations, community action agencies, and many other local charities as well as non-profits.
Salvation Army Food Pantry
The Salvation Army is dedicated to eliminating food insecurity.
The Salvation Army operates free local food banks around Utica, New York from almost all of their local social service centers. The charity organization is involved in feeding millions of families each year, with a large percentage of those assisted being children as well as the elderly.
We have located 2 Salvation Army Food Pantry locations in Utica, New York which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
The Salvation Army - Utica Citadel Corps
Services provided :
- Camping Activities
- Character Building Programs
- Community Recreation Programs
- Day Camp Activities
- Food & Nutrition
- Food & Nutrition Programs
- Men's Ministries
- Music & Arts Programs
- Residential Camping Activities
- Seasonal Services
- Visitation Services
- Women's Ministries
- Worship Services - Children's / Teen
- Worship Services - Church
- Worship Services - Sunday School
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (315) 724-8736 to book your appointment.
Address :
14 Clinton Pl,
Utica, NY 13501.
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Hours Of Operations :
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Help Residents of Counties:
- Oneida
The Salvation Army - Rome Corps
Services provided :
- Character Building Programs
- Christian Education
- Community Recreation Programs
- Day Camp Activities
- Disaster Services
- Emergency Financial Assistance
- Food & Nutrition Programs
- Men's Ministries
- Music & Arts Programs
- Residential Camping Activities
- Seasonal Services
- Women's Ministries
- Worship Services - Children's / Teen
- Worship Services - Church
- Worship Services - Sunday School
- Worship Services - Youth Ministries
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (315) 336-42604290 to book your appointment.
Address :
410 W Dominick St,
Rome, NY 13440.
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Help Residents of Counties:
- Oneida
Church Food Pantry
A number of churches around Utica, New York have food pantries for those in their neighborhoods who are in need of food items.
Churches operate with food donations gathered and deliver to the food pantry nearest you by individuals using food drives.
Some churches also deliver food items to elderly who are unable to drive to a nearest community food pantry. Please contact your local church directly.
We have located 0 Church Food Pantry locations in Utica, New York which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
Catholic Charities Food Pantry
Resources provided by the Catholic Charity organization focus on addressing food, holiday, and immigration needs.
Families of all religions, backgrounds, and cultures can contact Catholic Charity centers for help.
Catholic Charities in Utica, New York are open to families on a first-come, first-serve basis. The centers operate during normal business hours, and provide walk-ins with groceries, food boxes, and items to prepare a meal.
The food pantries are like grocery stores, allow clients the ability to choose the items they need from the groceries that are available on site.
First-time clients of the food pantry will need to apply, and this is done from a one-page application. An applicant will need to provide basic household member as well as demographic information.
We have located 2 Catholic Charities Food Pantry locations in Utica, New York which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
Catholic Charities of Chenango County
Roots & Wings is an emergency services and self-sufficiency program which provides clothing, food, household goods and furniture for individuals and families in need. Services include food pantry, clothing from donors in the community, household goods, prescription assistance, food and sense program, snap assistance and pre-screening, disaster relief and job skills assistance. Food Pantry hours are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 10-3pm, Thursday 10-6pm.
Services provided :
- emergency food
- food pantry
- clothing
- home goods
- furniture
- prescription assistance
- skills & training
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (607) 336-7897 to book your appointment.
Address :
34 Berry St,
Norwich, NY 13815.
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Hours Of Operations :
- Mon: 09:00 AM - 04:00 PM
- Tues: 09:00 AM - 04:00 PM
- Wed: 09:00 AM - 04:00 PM
- Thurs: 09:00 AM - 06:00 PM
- Fri: 09:00 AM - 05:00 PM
- Sat: Closed
- Sun: Closed
Help Residents of Counties:
- Broome
- Chenango
- Cortland
- Madison
- Oneida
- Onondaga
- Oswego
Catholic Charities Tri-County Services - Herkimer County
Providing emergency and supplemental food to those in need in the Ilion, Frankfort and Schuyler Areas. Pantry hours of operation are Monday-Friday from 1pm-3pm. Service is by appointment only.
Services provided :
- food pantry
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (315) 894-9917 to book your appointment.
Address :
61 West St,
Ilion, NY 13357.
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- Ilion
Help Residents of Counties:
- Herkimer
Helping Hands Food Pantry
Helping Hands is a faith-based 501(c)(3) food pantry operated around Utica, New York almost entirely by volunteers.
It provides a 7-day supply of groceries and personal care items free of charge to people in need, regardless of their religious beliefs.
Helping Hands is supported entirely by donations from individuals, service organizations, churches, and businesses in our community.
Find a local helping hands food pantry open near you.
We have located 1 Helping Hand Food Pantry locations in Utica, New York which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
Hope House (Neighbors Helping Neighbors)
Hope House is a soup kitchen located in Utica, NY. We provide 2-3 meals a day, 7 days a week to those in most need in our community. We average 7500 meals a month and 95,000 meals a year. Due to the increased number of people coming in our doors, we are preparing to build a new facility which will allow us greater capacity. Hours: M, T, Th, Fr, Sat 10 AM - 5 PM; Breakfast 10-11 AM, Lunch 12-1:30 PM, Dinner 4-5 PM. Wednesday 10-2 PM, Breakfast 10-11 AM, Lunch 12-1:30 PM; Sunday 1:30 -5 PM, Lunch 1:30 – 3:00 PM, Dinner 4-5 PM
Services provided :
- food pantry
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (315) 793-3723 to book your appointment.
Address :
130 Eagle St,
Utica, NY 13503.
Get Directions
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Help Residents of Cities:
- Utica
Help Residents of Counties:
- Oneida
Mobile Food Pantry
The mobile food pantry program distributes food directly to families in communities around Utica, New York in need during large-scale one-day distributions.
A typical mobile pantry serves 200-250 families distributing up to 10,000 pounds of food. This past year over 6.6 million pounds were distributed through this program.
Mobile food pantries usually visit churches, community centers, schools, shopping centers, and other convenient locations. They usually go to areas where there aren't grocery stores or other food pantries.
Mobile Food Pantry Schedule 2024
Unlike traditional food pantries where you go to them, mobile pantry trucks come to you. Food banks sometimes have an online mobile food pantry schedule.
Mobile food pantry scheduled to visit a community once a week or once a month. There may be last-minute cancellations or changes so recheck the mobile food pantry schedule before you plan to go.
We have located 0 Mobile Food Pantry locations in Utica, Model.Content.StateName which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry
The St. Vincent de Paul food pantry operates around Utica, New York much like a grocery store where people in need can choose their own food. It helps to enhance their personal dignity and reduces waste due to unwanted food items.
It also helps them to be proactive in addressing any underlying health issues. This is our model of choice for food pantries in the future.
We have located 0 St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry locations in Utica, New York which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
Food Pantry Delivery Program
Food Pantry Delivery Program delivers food and other products once a month at twenty points in around Utica, New York area. This makes it just a bit easier for some of more remote rural agencies to receive their products. About 70% of members take advantage of the Food Pantry Delivery Program.
Food Pantry
We have located 3 Food Pantry locations in Utica, New York which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
Rome Loaves and Fishes Soup Kitchen
The Soup Kitchen serves the Homeless, elderly, disabled and most of all the children who suffer from the lack of basic human needs: material needs, such as food, clothing, and household necessities; psychological needs, such as motivation, self-esteem, and rehabilitation; and social needs, such as support systems and meaningful relationships. In order to serve as a positive factor healing force in the spirits and lives of needy individuals, the Soup Kitchen strives to provide encouragement, direction, and material assistance to promote growth and wholesome independence with respect and dignity. Everyone who comes to us for assistance is welcomed, without regard to race, sex, age, color, national origin, religious preference, handicap or income. Our Mission: Is to feed those who are hungry in the Rome Oneida county area and offers programs to to encourage self-sufficiency and improve the quality of life of its patrons. The Soup Kitchen is a non-profit organization working to eliminate hunger through nutritious food distribution, education, and advocacy in cooperation with the community. Youth Pastor Anthony DeJean Sr. is the Executive Director. Hours: Sat & Sun 9:00 - 10:00 am & 2:00 - 3:00 pm
Services provided :
- food pantry
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (315) 533-5028 to book your appointment.
Address :
401 N Washington St,
Rome, NY 13440.
Get Directions
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Help Residents of Cities:
- Rome
Help Residents of Counties:
- Oneida
Mother Marianne West Side Soup Kitchen
The volunteers of Mother Marianne’s West Side Kitchen open their arms daily to the poor, homeless and lonely. They provide hot meals, bag lunches, and a warm, welcoming environment. Our clients range in age from two to ninety-two. We embrace all who are hungry, offering them the first step to hope. Our donors continue to keep Mother Marianne's Westside Kitchen doors open. We receive funds, foods, volunteer hours daily, but the numbers of clients that we serve are growing. We presently serve anywhere from 70 to 125 clients per day – from 2400 to 3000 per month. Mother Marianne's Westside Kitchen is associated with St. Joseph/St. Patrick’s Church in Utica, NY, the parish which is home to Utica’s first and only saint, St. Marianne Cope, who spent the last 30 years of her life taking care of the lepers in Hawaii. Mother Marianne's Westside Kitchen Mission: Inspired by the Gospel of Jesus and the example of Franciscan Saint Marianne Cope, Mother Marianne’s West Side Kitchen of St. Joseph - St. Patrick Church provides food, fellowship and a welcoming environment to all. Mother Marianne's West Side Kitchen, the operation serves hot lunches from 11:30 to 12:30 Monday through Friday, and a bag lunch on Saturday and Sunday.
Services provided :
- food pantry
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (315) 735-4429 to book your appointment.
Address :
702 Columbia St,
Utica, NY 13502.
Get Directions
Hours Of Operations :
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Help Residents of Cities:
- Utica
Help Residents of Counties:
- Oneida
Rescue Mission of Utica
Our Food Service Department continues to provide its vital, nutritious meal service program to the hungry, homeless, addicted and disabled individuals in Utica and the Mohawk Valley. Daily we provide three meals to our 130 residents in addition to serving a walk-in population from the community a hot breakfast, a bag lunch and hot dinner meal. This is made possible by the generosity of a giving and caring community who provides much of our raw foods through in-kind donations. Bag lunches are available Monday-Friday from 12:00 pm – 12:30 pm at the Parker House located at 203 Rutger Street. Dinner is available from 5:10 pm – 5:30 pm daily at our Food Services located at 201 Rutger Street. The Rescue Mission of Utica distributes food boxes to families in need. Each box contains the ingredients for 18 meals, no matter the size of the family.
Services provided :
- food pantry
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (315) 735-1645X131 to book your appointment.
Address :
201 Rutger St,
Utica, NY 13501.
Get Directions
Hours Of Operations :
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Help Residents of Cities:
- Utica
Help Residents of Counties:
- Oneida
Drive-thru Food Pantries
Since the start of the coronavirus, drive-thru food pantries have become the safest, most efficient way to provide food to our struggling neighbors.
Who can visit a drive-thru pantry?
Drive-thru pantries are open for anyone who needs help getting food. There are no eligibility criteria. Visitors do not need to provide any identification or income statements.
Only two piece of information is asked
- You Zipcode, and
- Number of people in their family.
You dont need to take appointment. Drive-thru pantries are first-come, first served so plan to arrive early.
How do drive-thru pantries actually work?
There are lot of volunteers help at Drive-thru food pantries. While not all drive-thru pantries operate in the same way, here�s how most work:
Staff and volunteers direct visitors to the parking area.
Visitors pull up to the pantry in their car and are usually guided into a clearly marked queue. As people move through the pantry, staff will continue to move the cars forward to get everyone through as quickly and safely as possible.
Checkin.
You are required to fill some information for Pantry's recording keeping.
Food is loaded into the cars.
Pre-packed bags of food, usually full of shelf-stable items like pasta, canned fruit and peanut butter, as well as fresh produce and meats are loaded by volunteers into the trunk of the car.
Pet Food Pantry
One in four pet owners who give up their pets to a shelter say it is because they cannot afford to care for them. Pet Food Pantries are designed to fill the void in the nation�s current assistance programs that exclude the purchase of food and supplies for family pets.
The Pet Food Pantry provides free pet food, for 3 months or less, to pet owners who cannot afford to feed their pets in Utica, New York
Who are eligible for Pet Food Pantry
Pet Food Pantry helps people who are:
- All ages, races and marital status
- Unemployed or underemployed
- Retired, living on social security or other limited income
- Physically or mentally disabled
- Experiencing homelessness or housing instability
Tips for Visiting a Food Pantry
Show up early.
This is very important. This means you will be first in line and have a chance to get the items that are sought after and in limited quantities such as fresh produce, dairy and frozen food.
You don't usually need to show up hours ahead of time but coming at least an hour before is usually a good idea.
Remember all documentation.
Many food pantries require documentation to prove who you are, and in some cases, where you live.
This is to make sure people are not coming more than they are allowed or using fake names to do so. Call ahead of time to find out what documentation is needed.
It's just your photo ID and a piece of mail that verifies your address.
Use several food banks.
Using more than one food bank (when available) is smart because you may be able to get something at one that you may not get at another.
For instance, one may have a deal with a local gardener that gives them their extras. This may mean this food bank has more produce.
Eligible for other programs?
Ask your Department of Social Services office if you are eligible for other assistance programs to supplement your household’s food supply.
They can easily tell you if you can apply for WIC (Women and Infant Children), USDA Commodities or SNAP(Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits.
Ask about extras.
If you have special needs for infants or special diets, the pantries may be able to assist you.
Many times, they can help with diapers, baby formula, baby food, personal hygiene products, and even special diet items like gluten free or sugar free foods.
Go on different days of the week.
Depending on the food pantry, they may be open only one or two days a week or they may be open all seven days. When you have a choice, going midweek is often best as it is less crowded.
Be polite to workers.
Nearly everyone at a food bank is a volunteer. Be polite to the workers there as they often deal with highly emotional situations.
FAQ(Frequently Asked Questions)
1. What is the difference between a food bank and a food pantry?
Independent community food pantries are self-governing and usually distribute food to their clients on a once-a-month basis. A food bank is the storehouse for millions of pounds of food and other products that go out to the community. A food pantry functions as the arms that reach out to that community directly.
2. What kind of food is at a food pantry?
Specifically, food banks often need items like:
- Peanut butter
- Canned soup
- Canned fruit
- Canned vegetables
- Pasta
- Canned beans
- Canned stew
- Canned fish
3. Who can go to food pantry?
At the majority of food pantries, eligibility is based on self-attested need. You do not need to have a referral, and income is not a factor to receive food.
4. What is the difference between a food pantry and a soup kitchen?
A food pantry provides three-day food packages to families that have a place to live, but not enough food. These packages are designed to provide nutritionally balanced meals. Soup kitchens serve individuals in need of a hot meal, the only meal of the day for many of them.
5. How does a food pantry work?
Food Banks acquire large donations of edible but unmarketable food from the food industry and distribute it to organizations that feed hungry people. Then they provide this food to family in a need.