Utica National Foundation Awards $250,000 To Local Food Pantries

The Utica National Group Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Utica National Insurance Group, is awarding nearly $250,000 to nearly three dozen food pantries and soup kitchens in Oneida and Herkimer Counties.

Utica National partnered with the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties to identify the need and distribute the grants through its donor advised fund.

“During these difficult times, helping to minimize the food insecurity in our communities and helping local restaurants weather the storm is vital,” said Bernard Turi, chair of the Utica National Group Foundation’s Screening Committee and Utica National’s senior vice president, general counsel, general auditor, and chief risk officer. “We appreciate all that the nonprofit organizations do on a daily basis for everyone, and this is our way of giving back to them.”

The grants recipients include:

• Angels Among Us Food Pantry
• Bread of Life Community Center
• Camden Area Food Pantry
• Church of the Holy Family
• Country Pantry
• Dolgeville Area Food Pantry
• Feed Our Veterans
• Foothills Rural Community Ministry
• Frankfort-Ilion Food Pantry
• Helping Hands Food Pantry
• Hope House
• Johnson Park Center
• Kuyahoora Valley Food Pantry
• Mohawk Valley Church Food Pantry
• Mother Marianne’s West Side Soup Kitchen
• Rescue Mission of Utica
• Rome Catholic Charities Emergency Assistance Food Pantry
• Rome Rescue Mission
• Salvation Army of Herkimer
• Salvation Army Utica Citadel Corps
• Seeds of Hope Food Pantry
• St. Bartholomew's Food Pantry
• St. John's Outreach Food Pantry
• St. Joseph's Church Pantry
• St. Margaret's Food Pantry
• St. Patrick's & St. Mary's Food Pantry
• The Salvation Army of Rome
• Thea Bowman House Food Pantry
• Town of Verona Food Pantry
• Utica Food Pantry
• Van Hornesville Area Food Pantry
• Waterville Food Pantry
• West Winfield Food Pantry
• Westminster Moriah Olivet Pantry

The funds awarded will be used to provide individual meals from local restaurants to soup kitchens and will restock food pantries’ shelves with essentials.

The Utica National Group Foundation donated over $75,000 this Spring through its partnership with the Community Foundation to address food insecurity issues resulting from the coronavirus pandemic.