Area food banks are reporting significant increases in need for food assistance.
Susan Linter is the chief advocacy and engagement officer for the Regional Food Bank which distributes food to food banks, including in Otsego, Delaware and Schoharie counties. She said Friday, Oct. 23 that there is an “at least 25% increase over this time last year” in individuals served.
People “just can’t make ends meet” amidst rising costs including food, utilities and gas, she said.
Linter and several local food bank leaders attributed part of the need to federal cuts and changes in eligibility for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The Daily Star previously reported that 241 people in Otsego County have lost the benefits.
“For every one meal we provide,” Linter said, “the SNAP program provides nine meals.”
Maggie Johnson, the executive director of the Edmeston-based Community Cupboard, said “we became much more aware of the lack of services” in West Oneonta when the organization’s mobile food pantry came into the area in 2024. She said it triggered a chain of events ending in the opening of a new pantry location in the West End earlier this month.
In the first two weeks, it served about 1,100 people, she said. Johnson said the Edmeston location served about 4,800 individuals in September, an about 20% increase from September 2025. Average use there has gone from about 200 families per week to nearly 300, she said.
“We see a lot of stress and anxiety,” she said, adding that some people are not using heat in their homes or are not traveling to the pantry because of the price of fuel. “They can’t afford it,” she said of some people driving to the pantry.
“There’s no shame in reaching out” for help, Johnson said. “We like making new friends.”
In the city of Oneonta, the Your Safe Haven soup kitchen and food pantry, formerly known as The Lord’s Table, has seen increasing attendance at its weekday full-dinner meals since the summer, board member Jeff House said. In 2025, the kitchen set a record by serving more than 20,000 meals. This year, House said, it is already ahead of that number.
The kitchen averaged 109 meals per night in September, a 30% increase from September 2025, with a peak of more than 150 people. People from a “wide range of ages” including young families with children are coming and the “vast majority” are housing insecure, meaning they may “move about regularly” to live with others and do not have a permanent home.
“We’re keeping up with it,” House said of resources and volunteer support. “Hopefully that will continue.”
Cooperstown Food Pantry Executive Director Valerie Jackson shared data showing a more than 26% increase in individuals served there this September compared to September 2025. She said the pantry has seen a “steady increase” in use during recent years.
The Daily Star Community’s Table giving program is collecting holiday food donations for October. Items can be dropped off from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday at 102 Chestnut St. and at Hannaford in Oneonta.
To learn more about donation opportunities, visit regionalfoodbank.net, cooperstownfoodpantry.org, communitycupboard.cc or yoursafehavenoneonta.org.