CANANDAIGUA — In partnership with Foodlink and Canandaigua Churches in Action, The Spot has opened a school-based pantry for CCSD families facing food insecurity. The pantry is in the Canandaigua Primary Elementary School and operates with funding from CCIA, Foodlink, Canandaigua Wegmans and community donations.
SpotMart replaces Foodlink’s “Backpack Program,” which provided kid-friendly take-home food for students during long weekends or holiday breaks. By offering a wide selection of healthy food items including pastas, sauces, rice, beans, canned protein, canned soup, cereal, peanut butter, and more, the SpotMart Pantry will support entire households. SpotMart is Ontario County’s second school-based pantry to open through Foodlink.
A survey conducted in the spring of 2023 by Pivital Public Health Partnership, a Finger Lakes based non-profit, noted that counties across the Finger Lakes have seen food insecurity more than double over the past three years. It was noted that among families surveyed, 61% reported experiencing food insecurity.
The Spot has witnessed the rise among Canandaigua families.
“For the last six years, The Spot has been providing snacks and heartier meals for hungry students to help bridge the gap between home and school,” said SpotMart Pantry Director and Spot Vice President Amy Scibelli. “When children are hungry, or do not know when their next meal will be, they are unable to focus and learn, and that impacts everyone. Opening SpotMart means we meet the greater need.”
CCSD families may choose to pick up food or have it delivered once a month, before long weekends or holiday breaks, or on an as-needed basis. Families can enroll by contacting their child(ren)’s social worker.
The Spot, a volunteer-led 501c3, has operated resource rooms in the Canandaigua Central School District since 2017 and in the Victor Central School District since 2021. In addition to food support, The Spot provides clothing, personal care items and school supplies to children in need.
For more information about The Spot, to donate or to volunteer, contact Jessica Evangelista Balduzzi at 703-302-0129 or visit, www.thespotny.org.