Nicolino “Lino” Ellis, Executive Director of the Jenkintown Food Cupboard, was featured yesterday by FOX29 regarding food shortages in Montgomery County.

According to their coverage, the Garden of Health, which supplies 70 local food pantries (and is also run by Ellis), is experiencing a 400,000-pound food deficit.

At the same time, the number of regular visitors to the Jenkintown Food Cupboard has increased from 210 last year to 300 this year, Ellis told FOX29.

“We feel we’re being squeezed on both sides as we see less product, less support from food banks, less support from the federal government, all reducing WIC and SNAP,” said Ellis.

Ellis previously told Glenside Local that in a record-setting 2023, the Jenkintown Food Cupboard served 500,000 pounds of food to 36,000 total individuals made up of approximately 2,000 people. That year, Ellis said the Cupboard “made a commitment to the county to purvey food as a food bank, instead of a food pantry.”

The Garden of Health is calling for advocates, donors, and corporate sponsors to help fill the gap ahead of Hunger Action Month in September. Community members are encouraged to set up food drives, make in-kind donations, or become corporate sponsors to provide a lifeline of support during this critical time.

FOX29’s video coverage is below:

For more on the work that Jenkintown Food Cupboard has been doing in our community, you can check out their website and their Facebook page. You can also read Glenside Local’s previous coverage on Ellis and JFC here.

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Screengrab: FOX29