FOOD DRIVES

Save Rochester food drives began with personal deliveries to those with expressed need in our community. Households were provided with fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, eggs, cheese, bread, and a protein. With major donors, like Lori's Natural Food Center and Veneto's, we have also been able to provide food to a major food desert in the center city of Rochester, NY. 

Save Rochester youth also collect nonperishable food items from donors in our community to distribute in food baskets periodically. If you see our youth in the community collecting food, please encourage their hard efforts and positive contributions to our community. 

Save Rochester delivers over 100 pounds of fresh organic produce to the food desert in the center city of Rochester, NY. 

This initiative is in it's 3rd year and the residents in subsidized housing have come to appreciate and rely on these weekly deliveries. 

Deliveries take place every week on Fridays at Manhattan Square (Park Square) at 2:30pm.

Save Rochester also holds Holiday Food Drives for major holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. 

We have also held food drives for other special events, such as Black History Month. 

Save Rochester believes that TRUE CHANGE requires work, and because we advocated so intensely for police reform, we decided to give our local police force an opportunity to connect with the community in a more productive and meaningful way. 

Save Rochester enlisted the service of the Rochester Police Department to deliver handmade food baskets with Turkeys, produce, and nonperishable food items to the front doors of families in need. 

Most recently with the increase in gun violence in our community, Save Rochester has prioritized deliveries to families in need who were also victims of a family member who passed due to gun violence. 

Poverty hurts, and we want children living in poverty to know that we care. Poverty does not care who is 'naughty or nice,' so Save Rochester has stepped in to spread TOY JOY to those in need in our community. 

Not only do we provide toys to children during the holiday season, each family receives a handmade food basket as well. 

The Easter Bunny is NOT real, well not until he's at your door delivering a food basket, Easter eggs, and toys! Children in poverty often do not get exposure to the nostalgia of holidays that many of us take for granted. 

So, we decided to bring the Easter Bunny to the front door of families in need in Rochester. This initiative means so much to us, because of the smiles that we create. 

Save Rochester's Easter Bunny has also visited public schools in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods in our community.