Welcome
Continued Covid Policy...
When you arrive at ICC at your scheduled food pickup
time, please drive past our building, turn around and pull up along the
edge of ICC. We will bring your items to your car.
Thank you for your cooperation.
All volunteers are fully vaccinated and wear a mask for the health and safety of everyone.
Irondequoit Community Cupboard, Inc.
The Irondequoit Community Cupboard, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization designed to meet a variety of needs for families and individuals in the Town of Irondequoit, NY.
Mission Statement
“To provide emergency assistance to Irondequoit residents with dignity, kindness and without prejudice.”
Vision
"To raise awareness of the presence and impact of hunger and poverty in our
community. We envision a community where all people share resources to ensure
that residents’ basic needs are met in times of limited resources.
We advocate for and reach out to those in need and try to influence public
policy so that every person in our community has the necessary support and
resources to enhance nutrition, health and welfare.”
Amazon.com for ICC
This will only take a moment of your time; I know you shop at Amazon,
especially for the holidays. You can help the Irondequoit Community
Cupboard just by going to
https://smile.amazon.com and then
type in Irondequoit Community Cupboard You would then continue to shop
whatever it was you were shopping for and we get a (small) dollar
percentage of your order. So we win for you doing what you were going to
do anyway. This would be a great and easy way for you to “Help us Help
others” in our community.
For more information you can go to Facebook page for up to date photos
and info
https://www.facebook.com/Irondequoit-Community-Cupboard-Inc-180196068672489/?fref=ts
United Way
Remember us at United Way giving time we are designee #2466
Bottle and Can Returns
Great news!!! Thanks to Bob Schultz for making me aware of a unique (to
us) way for us to raise some money. If you need to return bottles and
cans, and who doesn’t, you can bring them to Quick Cans Recycling at 471
East Ridge Road, Rochester, NY 14621, and donate the proceeds to us just
by mentioning the Irondequoit Community Cupboard.
If you are in need of
assistance, please call (585) 336-9107.
(no appointments are made online)
Distribution Hours (BY
APPOINTMENT ONLY)
Tuesday & Saturday from 9:30AM - 11:00AM.
Office Hours (BY PHONE ONLY)
Monday & Wednesday 9:00AM - 4:00PM
Fridays 9:00AM-12:00PM
"Letter from the President"
(May 2022)
Dear Friends,
Before I forget, I am now beginning the sign-ups for June through
September. If you are a current volunteer, please contact me to get
you on the calendar, even if you think I already know your dates, I
want to confirm them; summer is a busy time for all of us.
We are really into spring now and for many people, spring is a
season of new beginnings and hope, but this is not the case for
everyone. This past week I have worked endlessly for a family that
was recently evicted from their home of 11 years. The family
includes a mom and dad and 6 children (a set of 4-year-old triplets
in this beautiful family) I have had the misfortune of trying to
work through a system that needs work. In a system that is
insufficient, especially for two parent families. It has been a week
of frustration and eye-opening experiences and education into the
world of homelessness, I hope you will never have to endure.
This family spent the first couple of nights in their vehicle, the
next at a shelter and the next night after that they had to be split
in half; females in one facility in Gates and the males at the VOA
Shelter in the city. Imagine the trauma of first being evicted from
your home, leaving many of your belongings, not knowing where you
were going to stay each night, and then splitting the family up in
addition to all of that! To say this has been traumatic for the
children is an understatement. If any of you have lived through
trauma, you know it is not something easily erased.
Many people are fortunate to have family that can help them in these
uncertain times, but some do not. Housing for the homeless is at an
all-time high and if you are a family unit, it is near impossible to
find shelter. In East Irondequoit alone, 27 families, 43 children
have gone homeless just this year. I think it is time that we as a
community look for a solution right here in our own town so that the
trauma doesn’t have to be a daily thing while looking to get
resettled into housing. So that children can still play with their
friends, go “home” after school to do homework instead of having to
wait every day to see where they will end up.
Thank you to those of you who have helped me on this journey of
supporting this family, it was separate from the Irondequoit
Community Cupboard and many of you really stepped up and I know they
are very grateful. “Neighbors helping Neighbors” is something I
truly believe in and I tell you seeing people come forward in a time
like this makes me feel a little bit better even though the daily
news has become unbearable to take.
The following may be redundant for some of you, but we at ICC are
really trying to make sure we get the word out and let everyone know
about our exciting news.
Like many, when you buy your first home, you think to yourself, this
is amazing, we will never fill all this space. But for many of you
who have volunteered at ICC or visited us, you know we have long
outgrown the space. In fact, we pack our weekly backpacks in shifts
because there isn’t enough space to work safely, especially during
Covid. And the holidays…we can barely walk in the aisles. We limit
the number of volunteers because we are bursting at the seams.
Although our 1200 sq ft building has served us well, the increase in
client numbers since 2006 has grown dramatically. In 2021, we
provided food for 78,414 meals. Since Covid we have provided food
for 166,220 meals. We provide food for a weekly backpack program at
all our elementary schools, and we provide food and small gift cards
to the middle and high schools so they may have a small pantry on
site. Our Weekend Backpack Program has provided food and drinks for
6,989 backpacks since Covid. We have also added services and with
all these facts combined, we have exceeded the capacity for
efficient processing and storage. In addition to all of that, we are
on a dead-end street which can be difficult, at best, when we are
busy.
We have been searching for new space for the past 3 years and this
has led us to the building at 2841 Culver Rd. This building offers
3500 sq feet and is wide open on the main floor. In addition, the
possibility of an at grade, covered loading area with improved
traffic circulation is just what we need.
None of this would be possible without Federal funding from the
Covid Relief Fund and the American Rescue Plan Act that former Town
Supervisor, Dave Seeley and Congressman Joe Morelle was able to
secure for us. We are grateful to them and the current town
Supervisor and Board Members for this incredible donation to ICC.
The building was paid for by these funds. We are beyond grateful for
this opportunity to provide our amazing and beautiful community with
a food pantry that will more than double our space, provide oodles
of parking, allow us to have a permanent covered drive thru with
easy entrance and exit capabilities and provide new programs as
well.
This property will also allow us more room and opportunities for
services to residents in the case of another pandemic. I think THIS
building, at 2841 Culver Rd will provide Irondequoit with a food
pantry that will bring us into the future and remain long after I am
gone.
While this building will be new to us, it certainly is not a new
building. It was built in 1889 as a 2-room brick school and remained
a school until 1927 when it was sold to the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows Lodge. The Turkish Society purchased the building in 1979
and we are now purchasing it from them. While we believe it has a
lot of character and history and we love the look, but it needs a
lot of work. We are confident that with grants we have already
secured and donations from kind and generous donors and some limited
fundraising, we will be able to turn this building into something
special. And again, we are so grateful for this opportunity, and we
are extremely grateful to all of our friends and donors, both past
and present, that will be there to see this to fruition.
You will soon be receiving our newsletter by mail, which serves as
our only actual fundraiser that we do. Part of the funds raised will
go to improvements and safety measures at the new building. We look
forward to showing the place off during an Open House when we move
in, later this year.
Sincerely,
Debbie Evans, President
Executive Director
(585)336-9107
Lisa Loeser, Chairperson
MaryJo Toepfer, Vice Chairperson
John Kane, Treasurer
Cherie Evans, Secretary
Diane Zaccarine, Corresponding Secretary
Mary Bragg, Board Member
John Villeneuve, Board Member
WAYS TO GIVE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
* Go to RoctheDay.org and then Irondequoit Community Cupboard -every
dollar makes a difference. Starting at midnight 12/1/2021.
* Go to our website at www.irondequoitcommunitycupboard.org and click on
our Paypal link.
* Look at our Top 10 list always listed on our Facebook page or our
website. (see below) and choose an item to purchase for us
* Donate food items for our Holiday basket
* Donate food items for our Weekend Backpack Program
* Donate gift cards for those who come to us after all of our deadlines have passed.
* Check donations can be made payable to ICC c/o Debbie Evans
PO Box 17834 Rochester, NY 14617