Vouchers give Food Pantry Clients access to local food

Farmers’ Market voucher program will provide $20,000 in local food to Cooperstown Food Pantry clients

Cooperstown, NY – Clients of the Cooperstown Food Pantry, which serves all of Otsego County, now can receive $30 in vouchers each month to buy fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, eggs, and other SNAP-eligible food at the Cooperstown Farmers’ Market. The program is funded by a $20,000 grant from the Chobani Community Impact Fund at the Community Foundation for South Central New York. The grant will also provide funds to purchase produce from local farms to distribute to food-insecure people.

The Cooperstown Farmers’ Market is open year-round on Saturdays, 10 am to 2 pm.

The voucher program, started in 2017, was recently expanded to include all SNAP-eligilble food, not only fruit and vegetables.

“This program is truly a win-win. Our neighbors can access fresh, healthy food from local farmers they can trust, while helping to strengthen our local economy. Expanding this program to include SNAP-eligible items supports the needs of the very people we serve, as well as increase vendor participation in the program,” said Will Kleffner, executive director of the Cooperstown Food Panty. “We’re deeply grateful for our wonderful partnership with Otsego 2000 and the support of our funders at Chobani and the Community Foundation for South Central New York, who understood that food security means access to quality local food and community connection.”

“Everyone should have access to healthy local food and this grant and our partnership with the Cooperstown Food Pantry helps us work toward this important goal,” said Ellen Pope, executive director of Otsego 2000, a nonprofit organization that founded and runs the Farmers’ Market.

She said that in 2025, food access initiatives at the Cooperstown Farmers’ Market resulted in $55,236 in local food going to people in need. “These initiatives feed food-insecure neighbors, provide local farmers with more income, and help the local economy.”

The Cooperstown Farmers’ Market features local farmers as well as makers and artisans.

In addition to vouchers from the Pantry, the Farmers’ Market accepts SNAP, and through two matching programs, the Cooperstown Lions Club SNAP Match and Double Up Food Bucks, a $20 SNAP spend results in $60 worth of fresh local food. The Farmers’ Market is located at 101 Main Street in Pioneer Alley, Cooperstown. For more information, see cooperstownfarmersmarket.org or call 607/547-8881.

Individuals in need of food can call the Cooperstown Food Pantry, 607/547-4419, to arrange for a pickup. A monthly distribution includes a five-day supply of food for each person in a household. Personal care items and diapers are also available. No referral is needed, and no one is ever turned away.

The Cooperstown Food Pantry, located at 25 Church Street in Cooperstown, is open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 am to 4 pm, Thursdays from 1 pm to 5 pm, and Saturdays from 10 am to noon. See www.cooperstownfoodpantry.org for more information.