CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. — More than 65% of families are living paycheck to paycheck. At Western New York’s largest food pantry in Cheektowaga, they’re filling fridges and minds with resources beyond food. It’s possible now thanks to a state grant. Here’s how it’s changing lives.  

What You Need To Know

  • Resurrection Life Food Pantry is the recipient of the healthy schools and communities grant

  • The pantry now has three tablets to help communicate with the deaf and hard of hearing population it serves 

  • It also has a smart TV to connect the community with resources beyond food 

  • A new round of funding came through at the beginning of June; coordinators are looking for new recipients 

The controlled chaos of a Tuesday morning at Resurrection Life Food Pantry is underway. The tablet this volunteer is using isn’t new technology, except it is for them. Inside the chapel entrance, so is "Aaron."

“This contraption, this smart TV, allows our clients to find their own resources with our help,” Kim Reynolds, Resurrection Life Food Pantry Director said.

This technology is a game changer, to say the least, not only for them, but the 1,400 families they feed each month.

“Let’s say I am dealing with homelessness, food insecurity or mental health issues,” Reynolds said. “I can come to this and play here.”

They can even get recipes. This month’s is watermelon black bean salsa. People don’t like to ask for help. Reynolds says this gives them a different option. 

“Oftentimes, they just don’t know where to turn,” Reynolds said. “So this resource allows them to really feel like they are taking control of their life.”

Having control can be tough when you can’t communicate properly. That’s why the tablets are critical.

“[They] will be able to communicate with them, and tell them what types of foods they have available, here are some recipes and they can type in here,” said Laura Corrin of Creating Healthy Schools and Communities, Cornell Cooperative Extension Erie County.

Corrin is the reason why volunteers here can more effectively communicate with the deaf and hard-of-hearing population across the street. She’s facilitating a five-year grant to create healthy schools and communities.

“I go through, and I try to find the people in the communities of Cheektowaga and Lackawanna who really need help,” Corrin said.

A new round of funding was released in June. Corrin is looking to spread the wealth.

“If you’re interested in having this grant help your communities’ members, your daycare centers, your food pantry, your business, we’d love to help you,” Corrin said.

For Reynolds, whose clients are family, these new additions to the pantry, even though not food, are satisfying folks nonetheless.

“It’s not just food, it’s rental insurance; maybe it’s health insurance, whatever it might be,” Reynolds said.

If you are interested in this grant money, email Corrin at ljc@cornell.edu. 

In the meantime, with the demand the pantry has been seeing, they are breaking ground on a massive addition. There will be a four-lane drive-thru, a supermarket-style pantry so folks can shop for their own food and a new warehouse. That is set to take place on June 25.