Yesterday, despite the heat, we served a total of 173 families, 621 people, 59 of those were seniors. As it was the last Wednesday of the month, we were distributing food in the evening as well, a record 23 families showed up then.
We continue to grow in numbers and only hope our donations can keep pace with this expansion. But all our volunteers are truly committed to making a difference to our neighbors in need. Our newest volunteer, Stephanie Wright, comes from a long history of working for not for profits. She wanted to make an impact on her community and joined us two weeks ago.
This week also commemorates the 80th week we’ve been operating during the pandemic. And 30 of those weeks we were able to provide hot meals from local restaurants. The community was a tremendous resource for us and still is. We have a wonderful connection with Panera Bread on Central Avenue. Below is Sue who is always there to pack up bakery goods and does so graciously after working a ten hour shift.
And of course, our long standing relationship with Ardsley United Methodist Church is a lifeline for us. Thank you Ken Stahn for the latest delivery!
There are many other resources we are grateful for: bagels from New York Bagel Authority and The Shop in Ardsley, Sara Selitti for diaper drives, Stop & Shop for boxes of goods on a monthly basis – big kudos to manager Jim Luksis for encouraging shoppers to buy and donate items to the pantry! Temple Beth Shalom for weekly vegetables; Michelle Pelluso and family for ongoing donations and volunteerism; Elmswood Day Camp and director Leora Cohen; and to those of you who have made donations large and small on our website. We couldn’t continue to do what we do without you!
Biggest needs: 1 lb. bags of rice, size 6 diapers and baby wipes and adult diapers. Keep in mind when donating, we prefer regular sized items rather than large Costco sized items, such as peanut butter or rice. We cannot open any donations and separate them into smaller units.
Thank you all for being a part of something bigger than any of us.
This week’s newsletter was written by Pantry Co-Director, Vera Halpenny, aka: the diaper lady.
Dobbs Ferry Food Pantry 