FeedMore WNY Sees Rising Demand for Food Assistance as Food Insecurity Grows

Food insecurity is a growing concern across Western New York, FeedMore WNY has seen an alarming 16 percent increase in individuals seeking food assistance in 2024. We currently serve about 165,722 people across Erie, Niagara, Cattaraugus, and Chautauqua counties. Among those served, nearly 53,400 were children, and over 41,200 were older adults, highlighting the widespread need.

FeedMore WNY distributed more than 15.8 million pounds of food to our food bank network, ensuring that local food pantries, soup kitchens, schools, and hunger-relief partners could meet the rising demand. Similarly, nearly 1.5 million meals were provided through our home-delivered meal program, community dining sites, and other meal contracts. Over the past three years, the demand for FeedMore WNY’s services has increased by 46 percent, a level of need previously seen only during major crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our recent data confirms that food insecurity remains a pervasive and growing problem throughout the urban, suburban and rural communities of our four-county service area of Erie, Niagara, Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties. The pandemic-era benefits that provided relief for countless individuals across Western New York and throughout the country have ended, while the cost of living remains high. As a result, more community members are turning to FeedMore WNY and our hunger-relief partners to help make ends meet,” Collin Bishop, chief communications officer for FeedMore WNY, said. “The rising need for food assistance throughout Western New York is one of the many reasons that FeedMore WNY is in critical need of a larger, unified headquarters. We look forward to the completion of our new campus to have the needed capacity and infrastructure to better serve our food-insecure neighbors today and for generations to come.”

While FeedMore WNY continues to work tirelessly to meet the growing need, it is clear that ongoing community support is essential. As Western New York battles food insecurity, collective action can help ensure that no one goes hungry.

Those who wish to help can contribute in several ways:

-Donating

-Volunteering

-Supporting Feeding NYS petition to Fully Fund Hunger Relief

Learn more about the growing need by watching our channel 7 news by clicking here.