A couple of times a week, Carrieann Krach-Fauphnan loads up a shopping cart with food from CHOW, which will later serve her church's food pantry.

She says it's the least she can do to help give back to her community in a time when they need it the most.

Throughout the pandemic, she's the number of people accessing the pantry continue to grow.

"We used to get 75. Now we're pushing about 100, 150 a week. It's becoming a big deal," Krach-Fauphnan said.

Giving back holds a special meaning to Carrieann. She knows just how hard it can be to not know where your next meal is coming from.

"I was in their situation and God called me and said I needed to change my life and I decided I wanted to do what people have done for me. It's called payback, and it's a good payback," said Krach-Fauphnan.

And during this hard time, it's not just about the food.

"We even try to put little notes on their boxes of either a prayer or how we miss them," said Krach-Fauphnan.

This is just one of the dozens of food pantries CHOW helps serve throughout the year.

During the holidays in Broome County, 25,000 people typically deal with food insecurity. That number has jumped by 10,000 this year.