Food Access

Connecting families, individuals, and the community to fresh, local, and healthy sources of food.

Food Pantry

The NECC Food Pantry provides households with food and other household supplies on a bi-monthly basis, with no appointment required. We also offer home delivery for homebound residents.

Summer Meals Program

The North East Community Center provides free nutritious breakfasts and lunches to children up to age 18 for six weeks during the summer. The program is funded by the US Department of Agriculture and the New York State Department of Education, and NECC partners with local farms whenever possible.

NECC’s Millerton Farmers Market

Participants include local farmers, bakers and food artisans from Dutchess County and the surrounding area. In the summer, teens in NECC’s Farm and Food Education program work at the market, helping on many of the participating farms, and running their own entrepreneurial business, creating farm-made products to sell.

The NECC farmers markets accept:
• EBT/Food Stamps
• Senior & WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program Checks
• Central New York Health Bucks

Nutrition Security Coalition

Since 2022, the North East Community Center has facilitated a regional “Tri-Corner Nutrition Security Coalition (“Coalition”)”. Members of the coalition represent public health, human services, agriculture and food access organizations who serve adjoining areas of Columbia, Dutchess and Litchfield Counties.  The group meets regularly with a primary mission to improve the nutrition security of community members. While food security is about access to a certain quantity of food, nutrition security considers food quality and the health of the regional food system.

Food Futures

Our paid summer internship for local teens age 14-19. Teens support all aspects of NECC food programs and learn about farming, food preparation and community food access. 

Applications accepted in May for the upcoming summer.

Community Food Access Hub

NECC’s Community Food Access Hub distributes fresh, healthy, culturally responsive food throughout Northeastern Dutchess County, NY. We work with the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern, NY, The Glynwood Center for Regional Food and Farming, Tri Corner FEED, and Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley, and have strong partnerships with local farms to source fresh foods that meet cultural needs.

In the summer NECC’s Food Programs team also hosts “Food Futures” a paid summer internship for teens to participate in all aspects of stocking and distributing through the Community Food Access Hub.