If you find yourself in a position where you are unable to pay for the food you or your family needs, there are places nearby where, with the proper identification, you can get free food. My financial state upon my return to Albany in the late '80s gave me the opportunity to learn a great deal about Albany's food pantries and soup kitchens. The following is some information about what's available.

The Albany United Methodist Society runs a pantry at 412 Clinton Avenue on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 1 to 2 p.m. (449-9886). For years my girlfriend and I "shopped" there. Each patron is given a number of points based on their family size, which are used to pay for groceries one selects from the products displayed on the wooden shelves. The highlight of this spot is the availability of basics like oil, mayonnaise, rice and beans. Unfortunately, the AUMS pantry replicates the poverty of West Hill-often getting tuna fish is too much to ask-forget about toilet paper or chicken, and you have to remember to bring your own bags.

Another source in Albany is the FOCUS Interfaith Food Pantry at Lark and Lancaster streets (465-5161), which operates on Thursdays or Fridays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., and several Saturdays a month. Here you are given a number, interviewed by a volunteer, and given at least three bags of groceries. Fresh fruit and vegetables are out to be picked through, toilet paper and soap, premiums that are unavailable to those with just food stamps for cash, make FOCUS an important community support. A "community dinner" is held here every Thursday at 6 p.m, serving large portions of delicious, hot food to all those who enter.

By far the best supplemental food service I've received in Albany has been at the Center City Food Pantry at 183 Central Avenue (465-8262). A trip down the stairs here will allow you to provide good, nutritious food for your family. You'll never leave without at least four bags of meat, cheese, vegetables, pasta, fruits and occasionally even chewing gum. Most food pantries limit your visits to once a month, but there are several places to go if you find yourself without an adequate amount to make it through. The Cathedral Social Services program can help. Located at 125 Eagle Street, Albany, this process requires a little more participation in terms of social services questions, but is very helpful. Their hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 12 noon (463-2279).

If the above-mentioned resources are not convenient to where you live, you can locate the food pantry that serves your neighborhood, or where and when a soup kitchen is serving, by calling the Emergency Food Help Line (a project of HANNYS) at 1-866-526-2978. There are 34 food pantries in the Albany area. While utilizing them, be sure to avail yourself of the services they offer to help you obtain food stamps-a steady, less temporary solution to hunger.

Another good starting point is the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York , at 786-3691, or on the Internet at info@regionalfoodbank.net. A member of America's Second Harvest, the national network of food banks, they will direct you to the appropriate places for food stamp application and nutritional help. Their warehouse headquarters at 965 Albany-Shaker Road, in Latham, stores and distributes donated foodstuffs. In addition to supplying local outlets, the Food Bank runs programs such as the Moveable Feast. This program involves the collection of donations of prepared food from local eateries and stores, and transporting them to soup kitchens. The Food Bank also trains and assigns volunteers. And they turn every $1 donated into $12 to $15 worth of food.

How you can help

The first step toward effecting positive change in the War on Poverty is educating yourself on the facts and causal elements of the drastic monetary inequities in America. Organizations like the Hunger Action Network in New York State (434-7371 or HANNYSALB@aol.com) can provide you with solid statistics and possibilities for involvement.

The "Committees of Correspondence ," or CoC (www.cofc.org), is an organization I belong to that strives to close the door on poverty. One of their central goals is to replace America's "minimum wage" with a "living wage." The CoC arrived at a general figure of $10 an hour-determined by a formula that "allows every full-time worker to provide for the most basic personal consumption needs of a family of four." The attainment of this goal would not only help fight hunger directly, but it would also have exponentionally positive economic effects. Social Security would be strengthened with higher FICA deposits, and paying for health and childcare positions to support better-paid workers would lower unemployment and bring well-being to tens of thousands Americans.