By: Paige Lenahan

Food insecurity often brings insecurity in many other aspects of life. While places such as food pantries can give someone the food that they need, it only covers that one hardship. Mike Servello, the CEO and founder of Compassion Coalition, made it his goal to make sure that anybody who is in need gets everything they need. 

Compassion Coalition is focused on providing essential needs to those who are underprivileged and in financial struggles. They work locally, regionally, nationally and globally with their public, private and faith-based organization partners. They provide basic life necessities including affordable food, clothing, housing, transportation and employment.  

With a 150,000-square foot warehouse, the organization is able to provide any type of essentials to their partners and anyone in need. They take pride in providing affordable fresh produce rather than the typical non-perishable foods found in food pantries. But their warehouse is not just food. They hold furniture, baby items, shoes, clothing, cleaning supplies, toys and more.  

About 99 cents of every dollar is given back to the community. With that Compassion Coalition distributes more than $20 million annually in donated goods, helping over 350,000 people a year. They have been able to provide critical aid to over 4.5 million individuals a year to communities across the globe. A few years ago, the organization donated over half a million dollars worth of furniture and goods to help Vermont families rebuild after disastrous flooding. This is one of many communities they have helped significantly since 1999. 

In 2002, Bargain Grocery was launched in Utica focusing on not only food insecurity but also reducing the about of food waste. Servello said more than 40% of food goes uneaten in the U.S., while almost 1 in 8 Americans struggle with steady food access. Bargain Grocery provides fresh groceries at an affordable price; each dollar spent at a typical store is equivalent to 4 cents there.  

Customers who shop at Bargain Grocery, located at 1110 Lincoln Ave., Utica, are able to find healthy food, personal products and household goods. The focus is put on affordable produce since that tends to be overlooked with food insecurity. Bargain Grocery funds Compassion Coalition, making it a self-sustaining, non-profit organization. This also allows flexibility to help in urgent situations instead of following government grant guidelines. 

For more information or to donate, visit Compassion Coalition at https://compassioncoalition.com/