Sunday Dinner and That’s What’s Up Broome County

CHOW: Bringing Dinner to the Table Across Broome County

We don’t often talk about the “dinner” part of this feature, but this week’s highlight makes dinner the main subject—and here’s why. For hundreds of families, working parents, seniors, and kids across our region, Sunday Dinner is brought to you by CHOW. And that’s what’s up, Broome County.

Some organizations respond to immediate needs. Others build the infrastructure required to ensure an entire community doesn’t fall through the cracks. The people and programs that leave the most lasting mark on a region are the ones that take a simple, vital mission—making sure no neighbor goes to bed hungry—and execute it with relentless dedication, innovation, and compassion.

This week, Sunday Dinner and That’s What’s Up Broome County spotlights CHOW (Community Hunger Outreach Warehouse), an initiative of the Broome County Council of Churches that serves as the undisputed backbone of regional food security across our communities.

Operating across Broome County, CHOW powers a network of over 100 emergency food pantries, soup kitchens, and distribution sites. In total, the organization supplies millions of meals each year to families navigating sudden hardship, rising grocery costs, or unexpected financial strain.

What makes CHOW’s effort worth celebrating is not just the massive volume of food moved through its network—recovering millions of pounds of food each year that would otherwise go to waste—but the dignity and foresight with which the operation is run. Under the leadership of CHOW Director Les Aylesworth and Executive Director Rev. Dr. Joseph Sellepack, the organization continuously evolves to meet real-world challenges where traditional systems fall short.

Recognizing that many local residents in temporary housing or hotel situations lack access to full kitchens, CHOW expanded beyond standard shelf-stable pantries to provide prepared, high-quality meal options. Through initiatives like their Mobile Market Bus, Summer Food Program for school-aged youth, and direct partnerships with local farms, grocers, and churches, CHOW ensures that fresh, healthy food reaches every corner of our county.

An operation of this scale does not run on good intentions alone. It takes daily logistics, dedicated drivers, warehouse personnel, volunteers, partner churches, and community donors stepping forward to keep the wheels turning and the pantries stocked.

A good neighbor does not look away when someone is in need. A good neighbor pulls up a chair, fills a plate, and makes sure everyone at the table has a place to eat.

We think CHOW is not just a good neighbor, but an essential one. We are grateful for their work because, in a real way, their strength keeps our entire community resilient. When an organization works tirelessly behind the scenes so that families can keep food on the table every night of the week, all of us share in that security.

We are blessed to have CHOW anchored right here in Broome County, and that so many neighbors across our region are nourished by the care they deliver every day.

And that is a fact.

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