Good afternoon and happy New Year, everybody – It’s been a while since we’ve posted due to the overwhelming demands of running a food pantry during a pandemic, but we’ve never missed a week, and here we are in 2021. For the month of December we served a total of 598 families, including 1,196 adults, 777 children and 215 seniors, for a total of 2,187 people served. Throughout 2020 we served an average of 93 households and 355 people per week. In 2019 we were averaging 36 families and 129 people per week. It’s taken a huge number of volunteers, showing up week after week, month after month, to accomplish this. The members of SPRING Community Partners have been out of this world with their generosity. I can’t tell you how overwhelmed I am with the caliber and the dedication of the people who come to help at the pantry. We’ll have to make a documentary sometime, because these people are stars.
We could never have done this without a tremendous show of support from the Village of Dobbs Ferry, the Dobbs Ferry Police, every church and temple in the area, so many clubs, groups and neighborhoods, and the thousands of families and individuals who pulled together and helped us, both with food and monetary donations. And we’re still being supported even as we speak. I’m going to try to name some of the groups that have gone far out of their way to help us. Others can chime in after this has been posted to add the groups and people I’ve left out.
Here are some names that come to my mind: Woodlands Community Temple; Irvington Scout Troop 55; Scarsdale Women’s Club; Temple Beth Shalom; The Village of Ardsley (organized by Rajvi Patel and Callie Patras with the help of Mayor nancy Kaboolian); Ardsley United Methodist, in particular Judy Whelan and Ken Stahn; Doin’ Good in the Hood (thanks to Erica Razak); Dobbs Ferry for Social Justice (Marissa O’Hare and Kevin Messam); Hudco (Christy Knell); the South Presbyterian Church Faith and Justice Learning Lab (Marie-Louise Miller); Sam’s Restaurant; Hudson Social (our second successful restaurant fundraiser); Michelle Adams and On The Line (local restaurants have provided prepared meals for the clients); The Landing (including one anonymous donor who is still helping); Edgemont Rotary; the Masters School; the First Unitarian Society of Westchester; The Greenburgh Hebrew Temple; Jazz Forum Arts; Aldersgate Methodist; Dobbs Ferry Lutheran; the Irvington Farmers Market; the Community Nursery School; and so many more. You wouldn’t believe the outpouring of caring and concern that we have experienced since the pandemic began. All I can say is thank you.
I’d like to especially highlight the support and backing of South Presbyterian Church. They’ve turned over the entire sanctuary to the Pantry. I posted a picture on the website of the pews, full of food and boxes. Eternal thanks to the entire congregation and to Drew Paton, our pastor.
I hope everyone has already ordered their tickets for the virtual benefit jazz concert at Jazz Forum Arts on Saturday, January 16 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $20, and it will be a mind-boggling concert with some of the biggest names in the field of jazz – Mark Morganelli, David Janeway, Ralph Lalama, John Patitucci, Gary Smulyan, Ron Vincent and Nicole Pasternak! If you haven’t ordered your ticket, go to jazzforumarts.org/tickets and place your order. Then sit back on January 16 with a nice glass of wine or something to eat, and let the music carry you away. And you’ll be helping the pantry at the same time.
So glad 2020 is over with. Things just have to get better in 2021.
Dobbs Ferry Food Pantry 