TUPPER LAKE — A multi-year collaboration is helping the Tupper Lake Community Food Pantry serve up more healthy offerings to its clients.

For the last two years, the food pantry has been partnering with the Heart Network’s Creating Healthy Schools and Communities program, which is funded by a grant from the New York State Department of Health.

One of the primary focuses of the CHSC program is to work with schools and communities across Franklin County to increase access to healthy food.

“We provide a critical service to our community,” said Lisa Kimpflen, the food pantry’s director. “Food security is among the most basic and important needs for individuals and families, here in Tupper Lake and across the North Country. But simply providing food to people isn’t necessarily enough — it’s just as important to make sure that our offerings are supporting the health of our community. Access to nutritious food has a ripple effect on healthcare, education and so much more.”

In August 2023, the Heart Network’s community health improvement coordinator, Arriana Patraw, performed an assessment in collaboration with food pantry staff and volunteers, identifying opportunities to improve operations and increase the availability of healthy options. The assessment coincided with an increase in the number of clients the pantry served.

In 2023, it served approximately 50 individuals and clients per month; currently, the pantry serves about 94 families per month, which breaks out to 26 children, 77 adults and 86 older adults.

“One of the first steps we took together was implementing a Healthy Food Pantry Policy, which outlined the pantry’s commitment to offering nutritious options to the best of its ability,” Patraw said. “As part of this policy, we also introduced a simple labeling system on their menu marking healthier foods with an asterisk to make the nutritious choice more visible and accessible. As a result of the policy, Lisa and the volunteers have changed their menu to increase the healthier options.”

Kimpflen noted that in addition to stocking more healthy items, the pantry eliminated certain processed foods.

“We’re trying to move people toward better choices,” she said. “For example, we’re giving clients ground poultry instead of beef in our casserole-style meals, offering Quick Oats instead of instant oatmeal packets, and have completely eliminated frozen French toast sticks, Pop-Tarts, potted meat and Vienna sausage.”

In addition to the Healthy Food Pantry Policy, CHSC funds were used to purchase shelving to reorganize the pantry and make foods easier to rotate and stock into bags.

The Tupper Lake Community Food Pantry and The Heart Network will continue to build upon the last two years of work, striving to add more healthy options and to refine current offerings to ensure nutrition is prioritized as much as possible.

“We’re grateful to our volunteers, supporters and The Heart Network for helping the food pantry be the best resource it can be for people in need — our community deserves nothing less,” Kimpflen said.

The Tupper Lake Community Food Pantry is located at 40 Marion Ave in Tupper Lake. The pantry is open from 9 a.m. to noon Tuesdays, and from 1 to 4 p.m. Thursdays. For assistance and more information, email tlcfoodpantryinc@gmail.com or call 518-359-3080.

In addition to enhancing access to healthy food in Franklin County, the Heart Network’s CHSC program strives to increase opportunities for physical activity in school and community settings.