Jenkintown Food Cupboard looks to improve on record-setting 2023 with first steps to buy a Glenside warehouse

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January 3rd, 2024 | By Ryan Genova

The Jenkintown Food Cupboard had a record-setting 2023. Some figures for the year include:

  • Over 12,000 grocery visits for Montgomery County families, which fed more than 36,000 individuals
  • Nearly half a million pounds of food distributed through JFC’s full-choice pantry
  • Food banking distributions shared over 60,000 pounds of additional food with 20+ local pantries
  • Mobilized a dedicated team of over 100 volunteers who contributed 10,000+ hours of service.

“Those are all awesome things and we set some new records,” the Cupboard’s Executive Director Nickelino “Lino” Ellis said. “It seems staggering to serve 500,000 pounds of food to 36,000 total individuals made up of approximately 2,000 people. Starting in September, we made a commitment to the county to purvey food as a food bank, instead of a food pantry.”


Ellis expects to continue the momentum through a 2024 strategic plan which includes the first steps toward owning a nearby warehouse in Glenside or Jenkintown.

As of now, Jenkintown Food Cupboard is taking part in a food banking collection with over 30 local pantries the first Wednesday of every month in Lansdale. The first of the year is happening today.

“We’re looking to buy a warehouse in town so that we don’t have to make the trip to Lansdale. It’s a three-year plan to raise $500,000 to purchase,” Ellis said. “Having something like that will allow us to do all sorts of things and connect with the broader community.”

New Life Church of Glenside, Mitzvah Pantry of Elkins Park, Family Promise of Abington, Maddie Dixon of Ambler and Dresher, St. Basil’s the Great of Jenkintown, among others, will be present at today’s event.

“We’re trying to make sure that local pantries get taken care of on a weekly basis. It’s tripled in size over the past four months. We raised $40,000 in December alone,” he said.

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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Photos: JFC