About Us – Perinton Food Shelf

Our History

1984

Founded by local churches to provide emergency food to Fairport/Perinton, Pittsford, and Penfield.

Late 1980s

Operations expanded; the Village of Fairport offers free use of the Northside Fire Hall as a permanent location.

Mid-1990s

Pittsford and Penfield launch their own food pantries with initial support from Perinton Food Shelf.

Early 2000s

Community fundraising enables the Food Shelf to purchase the fire hall after the village is required to sell unused properties.

2008–2014

Demand doubles during the economic downturn; nearly 600 families served annually.

2017

New location opens at 1000 Turk Hill Road to accommodate growing needs; fire hall sold to fund lease costs.

2020–2021

COVID-19 drastically increases demand. The Food Shelf shifts to contactless pickup with help from the Town of Perinton and Foodlink.

2022–Today

With demand stabilizing, the Food Shelf begins re-gifting excess funds to other nonprofits in Monroe and surrounding counties, expanding its impact beyond 14450.

Our Journey

The Perinton Food Shelf, Inc was incorporated in 1984 by a group of several Perinton area churches as a not for profit. As the awareness and demand for help increased in the later 1980’s a new permanent site was needed and the Village of Fairport offered up the use of the vacant Northside Fire Hall. The community helped us purchase and renovate the building in the early 2000s. Things ran smoothly through 2008 when the economic downturn hit and demand increased and almost doubled. In 2017 space was found and leased at the Turk Hill Park complex.

The Pandemic Pivot

During Covid-19, our growth in demand doubled and we transitioned to contactless deliveries and pickups.