Amherst Little Free Pantry

10/14/2026

Early voting in Erie County (NY) happens October24 through November 1. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3.

Remember this when you vote:
" although the administration has boasted that it is cracking down on fraud in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program by cutting benefits, ProPublica reported today that the real fraud comes from criminal syndicates, often from Romania, who last year walked away with $470 million stolen electronically from more than 990,000 households. The theft could be stopped with digital microchips, but Congress has refused to add them to the benefit cards. Now the Trump administration has stripped funds allocated to address the theft." - Heather Cox Richardson, Letters from an American, 10/13/26

09/30/2026

Today is our 8th anniversary!
We observed it by attending the Sukkot program of Kesher Inclusion Outstretched Arms, our benefactors at Temple Beth Tzedek. They collected food donations for us while celebrating their harvest festival. These are our Directors at the sukkah.

09/13/2026

Voting season is approaching. Make sure you're registered to vote:

Please enter your Last Name, First Name, Date of Birth (MM/DD/YYYY format), County and Address information and press the "Search" button.

07/17/2026

Too much zucchini (or any other home harvest)?

06/09/2026

05/12/2026

Today we remember our beloved volunteer and leader, Cheryl Forell Tomasulo, on the day that would have been her 75th birthday. She embodied authenticity, kindness, and mentorship. On April 25, we dedicated the Pantry Distribution Center (our bulk storage space) in her memory, during the successful kickoff of the Cheryl Forell Tomasulo Memorial Menstrual Care Collection.

04/27/2026

We had a banner week of in-kind donations from partner groups. THANK YOU to Peanut Butter and Jelly (Lockport HQ), UB Newman, WNY Food 4 Paws, The SPCA Serving Erie County, NY, and Kreher Family Farms

04/23/2026

A reminder this Earth Day to check the "best by" or "expiration" dates of pantry items you plan to donate, and please don't give us open pouches of baking mixes.

This is a sampling of the items received this week that are going into my compost or trash, because the best by dates range from 2018 to 2023. We know that many foods are still consumable after the manufacturer-designated dates, but there is a limit.
- baby formula is unsafe to consume after the stated expiration date
- flour will turn rancid with time
- high acid canned foods (like tomatoes) will cause cans to bulge or even rupture
- we cannot accept home-canned goods, as we don't take glass containers (and this one wasn't even labeled as to the contents!)

The recycle bin is full of cans and cardboard boxes and the neighborhood raccoon will enjoy the 2023 beans, but we'd rather feed people with fresher choices!

04/20/2026

https://www.minorityreporter.net/post/tops-markets-expands-food-access-with-snap-payments-through-doordash

Tops Friendly Markets customers can now use Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to order groceries for delivery through DoorDash, marking a significant expansion in how families access food across upstate New York.The grocery chain announced the new option Wednesday, allowing s...