Drop off any of the following items to the HNA Food Pantry Truck located in the parking lot outside of the
Philip Heit Center for Healthy New Albany
May 21st between 12 PM - 5 PM
Open Pantry is offered during the 2nd & 4th Weeks of the month :
Thursdays: 1:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Fridays: 2:30 pm - 7:00 pm
Saturdays: 9:00 am - 12:30 pm
2023 New Albany Food Pantry Open Pantry Dates
January - 12, 13, 14, 26, 27, 28
February - 9, 10, 11, 23, 24, 25
March - 9, 10, 11, 23, 24, 25
April - 13, 14, 15, 27, 28, 29
May - 11, 12, 13, 25, 26, 27
June - 8, 9, 10, 22, 23, 24
July - 13, 14, 15, 27, 28, 29
August - 10, 11, 12, 24, 25, 26
September - 7, 8, 9, 21, 22, 23
October - 12, 13, 14, 26, 27, 28
November - 9, 10, 11, 30
December - 1, 2, 14, 15, 16, 28, 29, 30
Suburban Food Insecurity impacts communities all across the country, including right here in New Albany, Ohio. Millions of people in America struggle with situational poverty that can lead to reduced access to food; many are just one job loss, missed paycheck, or medical emergency away from hunger. In case you missed it, we invited members of the community to join us inside the New Albany Food Pantry to tour the pantry and sit down and learn more about food insecurity in our community. Watch the recording of the September 2021 installment of Healthy New Albany’s Lunch & Learn series: Addressing Suburban Food Insecurity with Karima Samadi, MPH, CHES - Food and Agriculture Knowledge Integration Specialist at the Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Jennifer Wilcoxon - Director of the New Albany Food Pantry, and Angela Douglas - Executive Director of Healthy New Albany.
Hunger Action Month was established by Feeding America back in 2008, when it decided it was time for a nationwide push to get involved in helping end hunger in the USA.
Throughout the month of September, the New Albany Food Pantry will be sharing facts about hunger and it’s impact right here in New Albany as well as many ideas on how you can help us in the fight against food insecurity.
To help you get started, we’ve created a handy list of 30 Ways to Give in 30 Days which is jam-packed with ideas on how you and your family can get involved. You can download the list here.
Don’t forget to tag us on Instagram or Facebook if you post about your efforts to help end hunger and raise awareness in the community.
In partnership with the New Albany Parks & Rec, we are excited to offer Empty Bowl painting nights during the Summer Movie Series. Join us to help combat hunger through art and raise awareness for the Food Pantry. All community members are invited to use their artistic talents to paint a ceramic bowl, then stay and enjoy an outdoor movie with family and friends. The fee includes the bowl and all painting supplies. Pre-registration is encouraged, but walk-ups are welcome.
Friday, June 25th: Windsor
Friday, July 23rd: Upper Clarenton
Friday, August 13th: Thompson Park
$15 per bowl or $50 for 5 bowls
This week we are shining our spotlight on New Albany High School student, Virang Desai.
Last year, Virang reached out to the NAFP to inquire about an idea he had to raise money to help pantry clients purchase birthday presents. We loved the idea!
Virang's Project Gratitude (aka Birthday Club) has officially kicked off and we are so excited. Here's what Virang had to share with us about this project.
NAFP: What compelled you to donate or get more involved with the Food Pantry? What personal significance does it have to you? Do you have a personal connection to our mission?
Virang: Every time I traveled to India, I volunteered for my grandfather’s non-profit organization which involved giving bags of food to the impoverished. Here, I realized my privileges and the importance of giving. I also volunteered at Riverside Methodist Hospital where I re-stocked pillows, greeted visitors, and conversed with patients. Here, I learned the significance of service. Both experiences have led me to learn the importance of gratitude and giving back and getting involved with the Food Pantry has allowed me to do exactly that.
NAFP: What’s the earliest memory you have of getting involved with a charity? Is being involved in charitable causes an important part of your life, and if so, how?
Virang: Volunteering with my grandfather at his non-profit organization, 'Ram Roti', 4 years ago was one of the first times I was involved with a charity. I believe that being able to give to the unfortunate and contribute to a greater cause in the community is a crucial part of my life. As I continue my educational endeavor, I want to be able to continue giving back, and I believe being involved with the Food Pantry will allow me to successfully embark on my journey of gratitude.
Virang’s generosity and thoughtfulness in spearheading this effort has been admirable. We are so grateful for his support!
If you would like to Donate to the Birthday Club, please click here.
**Be sure to make a note on your PayPal donation that it is intended for "Food Pantry Birthday Club".
Each month, the New Albany Food Pantry likes to shine a spotlight on donors, partners, & volunteers.
This month we shine our spotlight on The Rotary Club of New Albany.
What compelled you to donate or get more involved with the Food Pantry? What personal significance does it have to you? Do you have a personal connection to our mission? *
The Rotary Club of New Albany was approached by the Tri-Village Rotary Club to see if our local food pantry would like to be the recipient of their annual food drive donations. The Tri-Village Rotary Club holds an annual food drive for the Heart-to-Heart Food Pantry, but due to a social media post going viral, saying their shelves were bare (and then they were full!), they did not have enough room to accept the food from the donation drive. We were able to turn the food drive into a friendly club vs. club competition and with the help of our friends and neighbors in the community (special thanks to McClelland's Taekwondo Academy and Big Lots Foundation), in the end the food pantry was the winner! During the pandemic the Rotary Club of New Albany was able to repurpose our 2020 March Madness Fundraiser and donate the funds to the New Albany Food Pantry to help out the members in our community. Part of Rotary International's mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity and advance world understanding, goodwill and peace" through partnering with the New Albany Food pantry the Rotary Club of New Albany is able to live out the Rotary International mission!
What’s the earliest memory you have of getting involved with a charity? Is being involved in charitable causes an important part of your life, and if so, how?
The Rotary Club of New Albany is passionate about service! In a sense, that is what Rotary is all about. Our club, with about 25 members, participates in multiple service projects throughout the year. We are always looking for ways to help in our community!
We at the pantry are so grateful for the time & effort the Rotary Club has put into supporting our mission to food insecurity in the New Albany area.
To learn more about the Rotary Club click here.
This week, April 18th-24th, is Volunteer Appreciation Week.
❤️ In 2020, New Albany Food Pantry volunteers spent 2,696 hours volunteering at the pantry.
❤️ That's approximately 51.8 hours per week (over 52 weeks)!
Our volunteers are amazing! And that’s why we want to shout it from the rooftops.
We love our volunteers and are so grateful for their unwavering support of our mission to end food insecurity in New Albany.
The New Albany Food Pantry works tirelessly to connect our neighbors in need with food and other resources on a daily basis.
We are happy to announce that we are currently looking for candidates to fill a Full-time, year-long @americorps VISTA position here at the pantry so that we can provide additional services to our neighbors.
In an effort to reach special populations in need in our community and expand our diversity and inclusion efforts, our VISTA member will :
1) Assess client needs, specifically related to seniors, disabled, veterans and other special populations
2) Research and analyze how to reach and best serve these individuals in our community
3) Get creative! Develop and implement plans and programs to meet the discovered needs.
We need someone that is tech-savvy, who understands a little about social media and marketing, and is comfortable working with computers and managing data in excel spreadsheets.
The Vista will be working with clients, community leaders, and valuable partners.
We want you to dig deep, see what cool and exciting things are working in other places and help us to be on the cutting-edge of client-centric pantry services. We are a unique and fun group that cares deeply about our neighbors. We think outside the box and find great joy in our work!
Join us in changing lives! If this sounds like something you would be interested in, click here to find out more details including how to apply for this position.
Does food insecurity lead to lasting effects on education? What about child development?
As we learned last week, food insecurity and insufficiency are associated with adverse health outcomes.
We all know that children need nutrients from food so they can grow and develop. But did you know that early exposure to food insecurity has been associated with several developmental and educational consequences for U.S. children? In fact, recent studies show that among children ages 6 to 12 years old, food insecurity was associated with poorer math scores, absenteeism, tardiness, more visits to the school counselor, anxiety, aggression, and difficulty getting along with other children. It was also found that among teens, food insufficiency was associated with depressive disorders and thoughts of suicide. (Source: The Journal of Nutrition)
In addition, at the very least, children also need these nutrients from food so they can focus in the classroom. Food insecure children are often unable to concentrate in the classroom because they are hungry and are worried about when and where their next meal might come from.
The New Albany Food Pantry has made great strides in reaching the families most impacted by food insecurity in the NAPLS district. While we have developed programs that work to ensure kids get the healthy meals they need during the school year, we’re also working on programs that will help students with things such as snacks and meals to cover the weekend days when they are not in school (similar to our Spring Break boxes and Summer Meals program).
How can you help?
🥫 Donate-We are able to purchase $9 of groceries for every $1 we receive.
🤝Volunteer to help with pickups, canvassing, and more.
💁🏿Host a Food Drive; We even created a handy new Toolkit you can download that will guide you through the process.
❤️Share our Posts on social media and spread the word when we host food drives or request donations.
Almost fifty million people are food insecure in the United States, including 17 million children, which makes food insecurity one of the nation's leading health and nutrition issues. (Source: Feeding America). In 2020, we saw a 61% increase in the number of food-insecure clients served at our pantry compared to 2019.
Studies have found that food-insecure children are at least 1.4 times more likely to have asthma, compared to food-secure children. Food insecurity is also associated with increased risks of some birth defects, anemia, diabetes, high blood pressure, and lower nutrient intakes.
A household that is food insecure has uncertain access to enough food to support a healthy life; including limited access to proper healthcare. The reason for this is because food-insecure people often have to make difficult spending decisions, such as having to choose between spending money on groceries versus medical care or prescriptions.
Emergency food services, and even connections to resources, cannot alone address the gap in health outcomes that we see. Until the root causes of food insecurity are addressed, disparate health outcomes will remain. In the coming weeks, we will address some of these issues and how we as a community can help advocate for those most impacted.
In the meantime, the New Albany Food Pantry is trying to limit the damage caused by food insecurity in our clients' lives. We are working hard to ensure that our clients have proper access to not only healthy food but also other critical resources such as free clinics for pediatric, prenatal & primary care, as well as dental, vision, pharmaceutical, and behavioral health support. The Resource library on our website is jam-packed with information on how to access each of these services.
If you or someone you know is facing food insecurity or other hardships, please click “Get Help” in the Main Menu navigation, for more information.
2021 NAFP Open Pantry dates & Times are as follows
Open Pantry is offered during the 2nd & 4th Weeks of the month with the exception of October-December.
Thursdays: 1:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Fridays: 2:30 pm - 7:00 pm
Saturdays: 9:00 am - 12:30 pm
January-
14, 15, 16
28, 29, 30
February-
11, 12, 13
25, 26, 27
March-
11, 12, 13
25, 26, 27
April-
8, 9, 10
22, 23, 24
May-
13, 14, 15
27, 28, 29
June-
10, 11, 12
24, 25, 26
July-
8, 9, 10
22, 23, 24
August-
12, 13, 14
26, 27, 28
September-
9, 10, 11
23, 24, 25
October-
7, 8, 9
21, 22, 23
November-
4, 5, 6
18, 19, 20
December-
2, 3, 4
16, 17, 18
**October-December we will be open the first and third weeks of those months due to where Thanksgiving and Christmas fall this year.
Denise Parman - New Albany Food Pantry 2020 Volunteer of the Year
Social determinants of health are defined by the World Health Organization as the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age. Regardless of where you live, (i.e urban, suburban, rural areas), these factors play an integral part in the future health of each community.
There are over 17 million Americans living in poverty in the suburbs. Despite recent increases in suburban poverty, the perception of the suburbs as areas of uniform affluence remains, and there has been little research into health care barriers experienced by people living in these areas. Healthy New Albany hopes to start this important conversation about our community’s social determinants of health and broaden the awareness related to this topic.
Join us via Zoom on November 11th from 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM for a panel discussion to help define social determinants of health and how they are affecting the New Albany community in unique ways. Hear from two distinguished professionals who study social determinants of health and who offer that “awareness” is the first step to positive population health changes.
Special Guest Panel:
Dr. Robert Murray
Professor of Human Nutrition, The Ohio State University College of Education and Human Ecology
Dr. Robert Murray spent over 20 years in the field of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition in the Ohio State University School of Medicine and most recently was the director of the Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition. He also served as the pediatric medical director for Abbott Nutrition. For 10 years Dr. Murray was a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Council on School Health, serving as chair in the final 4 years. He is a Board member of Action for Healthy Kids as well as of the Children’s Hunger Alliance, and previously was on the Board of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation. Dr. Murray is the Past President of the Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Ms. Karima Samadi, MPH, CHES
The Ohio State University Food and Agriculture Knowledge Integration Specialist
College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences | Knowledge Exchange
Karima has engaged in food systems work for over 10 years, in various programs ranging from child obesity prevention to agricultural education. She leverages her research and public health work in food insecurity to influence policy, systems, and environment change through community-based participatory research. She was previously a Research Coordinator for three research projects: Food Mapping for Empowerment, Access, and Sustainable Transformation (FEAST), Healthy Eating, Active Living – Mapping Attributes using Photographic Participatory Surveys (HEAL MAPPS), and Voices for Food (a multi-state USDA NIFA grant). Karima is the Co-Chair for the Franklin County Local Food Council (Columbus, OH).
Moderator:
Angela Douglas
Executive Director, Healthy New Albany
Reserve your virtual seat for this informative event today.
New Albany Food Pantry is proud to partner with New Albany Wellbeing Connection to offer our latest program, Seeking Empowerment Through COVID-19. This program offers support to New Albany Food Pantry clients facing challenges caused by the pandemic. Group members will receive information and tools to help them cope in the face of challenges. Join our group facilitator, Marge Keene from Concord Counseling for this virtual support group discussion.
This program is held every Tuesday at 7 PM through December 15th.
For more details or to sign up, please email: