Johnson Park Center in Utica Gets $125,000 State Grant for New Food Pantry Warehouse

Johnson Park Center in Utica will get $125,000 to build a new food pantry warehouse and a building for packing food boxes, the governor's office announced Monday, Oct. 26. The award goes to JCTOD Outreach, the organization behind the center, the Utica Phoenix reported; WKTV also covered it.

About the program: NY PLATES is a new state capital grant fund. This first round sent about $8.3 million to 59 food banks and pantries statewide. The money pays for buildings, coolers, trucks and equipment, not groceries. The Food Bank of Central New York, which supplies pantries in Oneida, Herkimer and Madison counties, got $400,000 for a truck and trailer, backup power and warehouse gear.

Not yet published: when construction starts and how many more households the new space will serve.