Albany High School Principal Jodi Commerford speaks during an opening ceremony for the new Falcon Market at Albany High School on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in Albany, N.Y. The enhanced market space combines the high school’s food pantry and clothing boutique into one 1,135-square-foot space. (Will Waldron/Times Union)
Will Waldron/Times Union
Food is displayed at the new Falcon Market at Albany High School on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in Albany, N.Y. The enhanced market space combines the high school’s food pantry and clothing boutique into one 1,135-square-foot space. (Will Waldron/Times Union)
Will Waldron/Times Union
Clothing is displayed at the new Falcon Market at Albany High School on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in Albany, N.Y. The enhanced market space combines the high school’s food pantry and clothing boutique into one 1,135-square-foot space. (Will Waldron/Times Union)
Will Waldron/Times Union
City School District of Albany superintendent Joseph Hochreiter, right, leads an opening ceremony for the new Falcon Market at Albany High School on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in Albany, N.Y. Market 32 and Price Chopper donated the industrial-grade refrigeration units, food and other infrastructure. (Will Waldron/Times Union)
Will Waldron/Times Union
Food is displayed at the new Falcon Market at Albany High School on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in Albany, N.Y. The enhanced market space combines the high school’s food pantry and clothing boutique into one 1,135-square-foot space. (Will Waldron/Times Union)
Will Waldron/Times Union
Women’s evening gowns are displayed at the new Falcon Market at Albany High School on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in Albany, N.Y. The enhanced market space combines the high school’s food pantry and clothing boutique into one 1,135-square-foot space. (Will Waldron/Times Union)
Will Waldron/Times Union
Blaine Bringhurst, president of Market 32 and Price Chopper, spoke at the ceremony to open the new Falcon Market at Albany High School on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in Albany, N.Y. His company donated food, industrial refrigerators and other infrastructure to the enhanced market that combines the high school’s food pantry and clothing boutique into one 1,135-square-foot space. (Will Waldron/Times Union)
City School District of Albany superintendent Joseph Hochreiter leads an opening ceremony for the new Falcon Market at Albany High School on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in Albany, N.Y. The enhanced market space combines the high school’s food pantry and clothing boutique into one 1,135-square-foot space on the second floor. (Will Waldron/Times Union)
Will Waldron/Times Union
Food is displayed at the new Falcon Market at Albany High School on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in Albany, N.Y. The enhanced market space combines the high school’s food pantry and clothing boutique into one 1,135-square-foot space on the second floor. (Will Waldron/Times Union)
Will Waldron/Times Union
School supplies are displayed at the new Falcon Market at Albany High School on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in Albany, N.Y. The enhanced market space combines the high school’s food pantry and clothing boutique into one 1,135-square-foot space on the second floor. (Will Waldron/Times Union)
Will Waldron/Times Union
Clothing is displayed at the new Falcon Market at Albany High School on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in Albany, N.Y. The enhanced market space combines the high school’s food pantry and clothing boutique into one 1,135-square-foot space on the second floor. (Will Waldron/Times Union)
Will Waldron/Times Union
Footwear is displayed at the new Falcon Market at Albany High School on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in Albany, N.Y. The enhanced market space combines the high school’s food pantry and clothing boutique into one 1,135-square-foot space on the second floor. (Will Waldron/Times Union)
Will Waldron/Times Union
Shoes are displayed at the new Falcon Market at Albany High School on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in Albany, N.Y. The enhanced market space combines the high school’s food pantry and clothing boutique into one 1,135-square-foot space on the second floor. (Will Waldron/Times Union)
Will Waldron/Times Union
Clothing is displayed at the new Falcon Market at Albany High School on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in Albany, N.Y. The enhanced market space combines the high school’s food pantry and clothing boutique into one 1,135-square-foot space on the second floor. (Will Waldron/Times Union)
Will Waldron/Times Union
A logo for the new Falcon Market at Albany High School is displayed on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, at Albany High School in Albany, N.Y. The enhanced market space combines the high school’s food pantry and clothing boutique into one 1,135-square-foot space on the second floor. (Will Waldron/Times Union)
Will Waldron/Times Union
Clothing is displayed at the new Falcon Market at Albany High School on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in Albany, N.Y. The enhanced market space combines the high school’s food pantry and clothing boutique into one 1,135-square-foot space on the second floor. (Will Waldron/Times Union)
Will Waldron/Times Union
ALBANY — Alongside racks filled with suit jackets, T-shirts, prom dresses and more sit shelves stocked with products like pantry essentials, paper goods and personal care supplies. It’s all part of the newly transformed market at Albany High School, unveiled on Friday morning.
Falcon Market combines the high school’s food pantry and clothing boutique into one 1,135-square-foot space on the third floor, which required a more than $15,000 investment. The transformation comes months after Albany High School completed the final phase of a seven-year, $188.9 million reconstruction project, which added nearly 200,000 square feet of educational space and more.
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“It just made sense,” said special education transition coordinator Joey DiPiazza in an interview with the Times Union. “It makes it easier for students and families coming to one spot, as well as the students working, the students from Best Buddies.“
The high school teamed up with Market 32 and Price Chopper, which has donated food and infrastructure, including two industrial-grade refrigeration units, as well as other entities like the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York and the Albany Fund for Education. The expanded pantry offers “a broader, more consistent selection of fresh foods, pantry staples and ready-to-use essentials that support the daily nutrition needs of students,” a news release states.
Falcon Market is available for Albany High School’s 2,700 students and their families, said principal Jodi Commerford in an interview with the Times Union. Albany City School District offers 10 other food pantries across its schools, Commerford said, but none are of the Falcon Market’s size. The market serves to “fill the gaps” for students in need of food and clothing, she said, and it is open weekdays between the students’ ninth period class until around 5:30 p.m.
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“I think in the beginning, there used to kind of be a stigma around it,” Commerford said, referring to the introduction of the food pantry at Albany High School in 2021. “There is no stigma anymore. The kids come in here, and it’s just really amazing to see kids who need assistance be so comfortable to come in here … it’s truly an accepted space.”
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The market provides food “on an as-needed basis” to the high school’s students and their families, said Veronica Ingram-Henry, the vice president of programs and strategic initiatives at the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York. Food available at the market “reflects the diversity of the district,” said Mari Shopsis, the executive director of the Albany Fund for Education. The space also features a designated “checkout counter” for its clients.
“We know that we’re not at our best if we’re hungry,” said City School District of Albany Superintendent Joseph Hochreiter in a press conference on Friday morning. “That’s especially true for children, and particularly teenagers. … They need healthy and nutritious food to grow, to thrive and to be available to learn. However, we know that food insecurity is a daily challenge for far too many students, especially here in Albany.”
In the Capital Region, 1 in 8 people are food insecure, according to the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York. Many of those people rely on federal programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, to put food on their tables. Out of the nearly 3 million people who rely on SNAP in New York State, 30% are children.
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“Significant financial hardships are a reality for too many families,” Hochreiter added at the news conference. “At this time of year, it can even be more daunting, as sometimes it’s difficult to pay heating bills and (afford) holiday festivities. To meet these needs, public schools have assumed a much larger role.”