Good afternoon, everyone – good to be back, and thank you to all the volunteers who kept the pantry going while I was away. We are an interchangeable group, so no one individual is indispensable. That’s important because it means that no matter who’s there or not there on a given Wednesday, the clients are served just the same.
Yesterday in the morning we served a total of 21 families, including 46 adults, 29 children and 8 seniors. Then in the evening we served 13 more families with 29 adults, 23 children and 1 senior, for a total of 34 families, 75 adults, 52 children and 9 seniors. We averaged 27 families a week in May.
We’re looking forward to beginning the CSA (community-supported agriculture) this coming Sunday. It will run until the fall, and we’ll have plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit for our clients every week. Roots and Wings has contracted with a new farm by the name of FABLE, located in Ossining. There’s an actual farm close by in Ossining! Our clients have been happy with the produce we’ve had in other summers, so we’re optimistic that this will be another successful season.
Yesterday a young man from the League of Women Voters dropped by a few minutes before the pantry opened and interviewed Lyn and me about food insecurity in the Rivertowns. He’ll be submitting a report to the League about what he’s learned, and he’ll send us a copy also. It’s a very good thing that the League of Women Voters is focusing on this issue. They’re a big, influential organization and they can help spread the word that there are families who need help in Dobbs Ferry, Ardsley, Irvington and Greenburgh.
I received an e-mail from the Director of Outreach and Education at the Pace Women’s Justice Center, asking to meet with me to discuss sharing information about their services with our clients. I responded back that it would be a very good thing to educate our clients about the services they offer – free of charge – to people who need legal assistance and advice on problems around partner abuse, elder abuse and other issues. I’m looking forward to hearing from her to see how we can get this important news to our clients. They’re opening a free walk-in clinic which will be a huge help to any of our clients who may need guidance and support in these areas.
Dobbs Ferry Food Pantry 