By: Elijah Lewis

It’s just past noon on a gray Friday in West Utica, and the line outside Hope House stretches down Eagle Street. Inside, volunteers ladle steaming trays of chicken and rice onto plates while conversations hum quietly around them. The smell of warm food cuts through the cold air drifting in from the open doorway.

“I come here when I can’t stretch my groceries through the week,” one guest said softly, requesting anonymity. “It’s not easy to ask for help, but this place makes it feel okay.”

Scenes like this play out every day in Utica, a city where food insecurity remains an unspoken but visible part of daily life. For decades, local organizations in Utica have been one of the community’s most reliable lifelines, serving hundreds of free meals each day to anyone who walks through their doors, no questions asked. But lately, the lines have been getting longer.

According to the Food Bank of Central New York’s 2024 Annual Report, Oneida County’s overall food insecurity rate sits at 11.4%, representing nearly 27,000 residents who do not consistently know where their next meal will come from. 

A growing crisis in Oneida County

The food-insecurity rate in Oneida County has risen to about 13%, affecting more than 30,000 residents who regularly struggle with accessing enough food. Children continue to face disproportionately high levels of risk; local estimates put the child food-insecurity rate near 18%, according to data from the Food Bank of Central New York. Rising food prices, housing cost pressures, and transportation barriers are being cited as key drivers of this upward trend.

When Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding was disrupted last month due to the federal government shutdown, Oneida County’s Department of Family and Child Services (DFCS) office was sent into “crisis” mode responding to the large number of people in need, said Mike Romano, deputy commissioner of Oneida County DFCS.

The government shutdown combined with recent changes that the federal government had already implemented within the SNAP program provided “a perfect storm” of chaos for residents and providers, causing many to declare food emergency status,  Romano said. 

More than 2,000 Oneida County residents declared food emergency status over a 10-day span in early November, according to Romano. About 36,000 residents are currently on temporary SNAP  assistance and 60% of that number is made up of children or elderly individuals who are disabled or receive Social Security income, according to information provided by the office of DFCS. 

The average cost of a meal in Oneida County is $3.69, slightly higher than both the state and national averages. This small difference becomes significant for families living on tight budgets, especially as grocery and transportation costs continue to rise, Romano said. 

Experts said the majority of those affected are not unemployed but instead working individuals and families who earn too much to qualify for federal assistance but too little to keep up with basic expenses. A recent guest at Hope House, who requested anonymity, described it simply: “It’s not about being homeless anymore, it’s about working people who can’t afford enough anymore.”

Many food providers across the city echoed this reality.

 “The need is incredible,” said Dave Zogby, operations director of the Utica Food Pantry. “There are a lot of working poor. The one thing you can count on is an increase in numbers.”

Across Oneida County, nearly 60% of residents facing food insecurity fall into that “working poor” category, people employed in service, retail or care jobs where pay is low and hours are inconsistent.

“The biggest trend we’re seeing is that more people who already work full-time are applying for benefits,” said Silkia Soler, a SNAP case worker who is familiar with food-access issues in Oneida County. “They aren’t unemployed, they’re just falling behind.”

Soler said a growing number of applicants are families experiencing temporary hardship.

“We’re getting more calls from households who have never used SNAP before,” she said. “One car repair or one missed paycheck is enough to push them into food insecurity.”

Yet many who qualify for SNAP still hesitate to apply. Zogby sees that on a regular basis.

 “They’re people who have lost their way and they don’t know where to go,” he said, explaining that many clients are reluctant to rely on government assistance, even when eligible.

He added that the pantry has recently seen an influx of larger families, a trend not as common in previous years.

Barriers exist in the region’s benefit system, according to local experts, that hinder peoples’ quality of life.

“Transportation makes everything harder, from grocery shopping to getting to your recertification appointments,” Soler said. “A lot of people lose benefits not because they’re ineligible, but because they can’t physically make it to required check-ins.”

Systemic barriers

Utica’s food insecurity crisis reflects deeper economic issues tied to poverty, housing and health. U.S. Census Bureau numbers show that one in four Utica residents lives below the poverty line, nearly double the New York State average. Many of the hardest-hit areas, including Cornhill, West Utica and sections of Bleecker Street, are classified as food deserts, where full-service grocery stores are limited and residents rely on corner stores or convenience shops with few healthy options.

Transportation plays a major role in this challenge. Without reliable bus routes or personal vehicles, many residents are unable to access affordable supermarkets located outside their neighborhoods. What might be a short drive for one family can be a half-day trip for another, according to the Mohawk Valley Food Policy Advisory Council, which has identified transportation as one of the leading barriers preventing Utica residents, especially those in Cornhill and West Utica, from reaching full-service grocery stores.

The problem is compounded by the city’s large refugee and immigrant population, many of whom face language barriers and limited knowledge of local food systems. For them, food access is also about cultural compatibility, finding ingredients that match their traditional diets. Organizations like For the Good Inc., Thea Bowman House and The Center (formerly the Mohawk Valley Center for Refugees) have introduced community garden programs and culturally diverse food initiatives to help bridge these gaps.

Regional analyses from the Food Bank of Central New York highlight systemic barriers, including low wages, high food prices, and limited grocery access, that continue to push working families into food insecurity.

Finding solutions

In response, the Utica Food Pantry relocated in August to a larger facility at 524 Elizabeth St., providing staff with more storage space and office areas, and enabling the expansion of services.

Zogby said the pantry now plans to partner with agencies to host workshops on housing assistance, healthcare access, job placement, and more. The goal is to support clients beyond just emergency food distribution.

Even with expanded space, Zogby said the challenges remain daunting.

 “Misconceptions about food insecurity are everywhere,” he said. “There are a lot of working poor.” 

Many assume clients are homeless, unemployed or dealing with a criminal background, Zogby said, but today’s food-insecure population is far more diverse and the stigma surrounding public assistance plagues many local residents who do not want to formally apply for benefits. 

“Less and less people turn to government assistance and many of them are reluctant to turn to SNAP benefits,” Zogby said. “Many of them are people who have lost their way and they don’t know where to turn.”

For more information on how to donate to local food banks and organizations helping food insecure people, visit Harvesting Hope Utica’s Resource List. 

Terrence Walden contributed to this report.