By Arriana Patraw
Community Health Improvement Coordinator, The Heart Network
Earlier this year, the Adirondack Health Institute (AHI) published the Adirondack Rural Health Network Food Pantry Guide, a comprehensive guide to food pantries across Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, Warren and Washington counties. This is an invaluable resource for individuals and families across the North Country.
The New York State Department of Health (DOH) reported in 2024 that one in four adults statewide experiences food insecurity, a status the DOH characterizes as “limited or uncertain access to adequate food due to limited economic resources.” In rural regions like northern New York, financial circumstances can be exacerbated by a number of other factors, including transportation and food deserts — communities that have little or no options for purchasing groceries. It can also be difficult for individuals and families to find resources that can help.
AHI’s Food Pantry Guide compiles streamlined information — location, hours, contact — on 100 food pantries across the region. It’s easy to read and includes a map of locations, making it simple for people to identify the closest available resources.
As an organization that works with schools and communities to improve access to nutritious foods, The Heart Network and its Creating Healthy Schools & Communities program, which is funded by a grant from NYSDOH, applauds its partners at AHI for providing this guide to our communities. We also encourage elected officials, community organizations and businesses to promote and circulate this guide as much as possible, both online and at physical locations in our towns, villages and cities.
The guide can be viewed or downloaded by visiting bit.ly/ahifoodpantryguide. AHI provides additional resources at ahihealth.org/regional-food-resources.
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