Staten Island’s largest food pantry now distributing at 205 Canal St.
By Pamela Silvestri | silvestri@siadvance.com
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The borough’s largest food pantry and soup kitchen has moved to a new location. Formerly on Bay Street, the operation still functions in Stapleton, just a few blocks north.
The food pantry now is at 205 Canal St. Hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to noon. Identification and address are required to future identify the most needy neighborhoods and populations.
Its neighboring soup kitchen also functions on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Meals are served from 11:30 a.m until 1 p.m. No identification is required.
At the moment, the Canal Street pantry serves about 350 to 400 people per week. Each person who stands on line to food can represent a family of one or more. Distribution is based upon the number of persons in a household.
“Islandwide, anyone can come. I would say we serve a very large Asian population. We have two senior housing complexes on Bay Street across from us and one on Broad street across from the [Stapleton] NYCHA housing,” said Jackie Stoll, executive director of Project Hospitality, the non-profit which manages the feeding efforts.
She added, “I mean, it’s dire. We have a lot more people coming to the food pantries as a result of the economic impact from COVID and food stamps were cut back significantly. It’s been very difficult. We took a $300,000 cut in our budget.”
Donations can be brought to 205 Canal St. from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Thursday.
Grains are a big need, said Stoll. She added, “Rice and pasta are a need. Peanut butter is very hard to get — that’s a staple for families. We could use cereal — but cereal is so expensive.”
Donations to Project Hospitality also can be directed by Gloria Novoa, who can be reached at 718-448-1544, ext. 163, or email her at gnovoa@projecthospitality.org.
Pamela Silvestri is Advance/SILive.com Food Editor. She can be reached at silvestri@siadvance.com.
For more resources:
Where to find food pantries and soup kitchens on Staten Island