August 14, 2019

          Mercy College is having a Community Service Fair on Tuesday, September 24 from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m., and the pantry has been invited to participate.  The e-mail they sent says this is for the purpose of encouraging their students to find different ways to give back.  We’re looking forward to participating because a couple of the students may be able to help us when we receive huge, heavy deliveries from Feeding Westchester, and also when we bring our monthly Green Thumb produce delivery from Feeding Westchester and have to carry everything from the car into the church kitchen.  Maybe we’ll find strong people there at the Fair, and possibly some of those students live in Dobbs Ferry, Ardsley, Irvington or Greenburgh.  In that case, if they need food,  they can come and get food from us as well as from the Mercy College Mav Market food pantry.  I’m glad we have this partnership with Mercy College and with the Mav Market.

          Also, a mother I met while representing the pantry at the community table of the Irvington Farmers’ Market told me her son needs community service hours for the National Honor Society.  He came and helped me at the CSA on Sunday, and he’s coming again this Sunday.  Most of the time the days and hours we need volunteers just don’t match with the hours students are available, but we do appreciate help on Sunday mornings at the CSA.  Plus he got to see how a CSA works.

          Last winter we were helped by a college student who took a quarter off from school and ended up being with us every Wednesday for a couple of months.  We really appreciated his help, and to our surprise he came again this morning because he’s off from school for three weeks.  We were delighted to see him, and he was immediately put to work, both for the pantry and for the upcoming South Church attic sale, scheduled for Saturday, September 7.  We’re receiving lots of donations, and help is needed sorting and arranging things.  Irvington Presbyterian is having an attic sale on the same day, but there seem to be enough donations to supply both churches.  If anybody has some free time, please contact me and we’ll arrange for you to help us get ready for the sale.  Plus we’ll still be happy to accept donations until August 31.

          This coming Sunday, August 18, is the annual Road to Freedom walk sponsored by the Dobbs Ferry Historical Society.  It starts at Gould Park at 1:00 and follows the route the Continental Army followed in 1781 during the Revolutionary War.  It ends up at Mead House, 12 Elm Street, where there’s food, drink, games and other activities.  Come one, come all.  I’m sure I’ll see some of the people on this list there.