The new year was beautifully inaugurated by Michelle Peluso, husband Marc Fader and family with their generous donation of new coats, hats, scarves and gloves — perfect for the snowfall that occurred a week later! Not only are the Peluso-Fader team major ongoing contributors to our pantry, they encourage their kids and neighbors to also get involved. Indeed, Auden Fader has volunteered to be our social media coordinator. Just what we needed, a teen who really gets social media.
Marc Fader, Eli, Cole, Michelle Peluso and Auden offered pantry clients a variety of beautiful items to keep them warm this winter.
Despite the wintry weather, our team shouldered on and made sure we were prepared for our neighbors. We are outside 52 weeks of the year and have become adept at managing the vagaries of the seasons. Preventing hunger does not wait for good weather!
Shames JCC on the Hudson again provided over 130 boxes of small meals (below). Children filled the boxes, and decorated them with pictures and words of kindness. The JCC does this to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, and our clients were delighted to be the recipients.
One pantry client was so moved by the JCC’s generosity and the children’s art that she returned to the pantry with a thank-you note.
Ardsley United Methodist came through with a huge donation from their congregation. Gift cards are also a regular contribution. We are so lucky to have such faithful friends. Thank you AUM!
Pantry volunteer Bill Constant, left, with Ken Stahn, the church’s transportation angel.
The Scarsdale Woman’s Club has been a consistent supporter of the pantry, not only donating food, but often donating gift cards that allow us to purchase needed items. Some club members have also become weekly volunteers at the pantry. Thanks, Mary Toomey, for being a mainstay at our produce table!
Karen McKeon of the Scarsdale Woman’s Club and pantry volunteer Andrew Smith worked together to stock the pantry with food and household items for our neighbors in need.
Teachers and students of Elmwood Day School jumped in to fill bags with shelf-stable essentials for our neighbors. Sara Arcaya, below, along with daughter Zuzu, swung by to drop off the colorfully decorated bags. We love it that our community is teaching its youngest members the importance of kindness and generosity.
And on the final day of January, Irvington Presbyterian Church gifted us with wonderful bags of personal hygiene and household cleaning products, items that are essential and often quite expensive. Pastor Blaine Crawford reached out to our pantry to establish a relationship that we hope will endure as many of our other relationships have.
Pastor Blaine and church member Lisa Niven.
We are also grateful to Temple Beth Shalom for their friendship and weekly contribution of produce, and to Gordon, of Zion Episcopal Church, who encourages his congregants to help support the pantry’s mission. And every week our clients appreciate the fantastic donations from Mom’s Organic Market, Stop & Shop and Panera Bread.
I am personally in awe of the many kind and compassionate people from our surrounding community I come in contact with on a weekly basis. It is pure joy to be a part of something that is so important and meaningful. I am also so incredibly grateful to our amazing crew of dedicated volunteers. They are the absolute best! Special thanks to Pastor Margery Rossi, of South Presbyterian Church, who graciously hosts our pantry every week.
IMPORTANT!
Feeding Westchester, a food bank, is spearheading a call to our legislators to ensure resources are available to prevent food insecurity— limited or uncertain access to adequate food. Please read the message below from Dan Egan, executive director of Feeding New York State, the state association of Feeding America-affiliated food banks, and sign on to support the effort to prevent hunger in our community. We need to have our voices heard. Here’s Egan’s letter:
“Earlier this week, the New York budget season kicked off with the release of Governor Hochul’s Executive Budget. While the proposal includes important investments in New York communities and families, the framework misses the mark on hunger.
“At a time when food insecurity is on the rise and with a recent Department of Health (DOH) report finding nearly one in four New York adults experienced food insecurity at some point during the past 12 months, the Executive Budget proposes a $22M cut to the state’s Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program (HPNAP). The proposed figure, which amounts to a nearly 40% cut compared with current funding levels, would significantly constrain a program that supports millions of New Yorkers struggling to make ends meet.
“New York’s hunger relief programs, HPNAP and Nourish New York in particular, serve as a crucial backstop for hungry New Yorkers. They enable food banks, pantries, shelters, and community-based organizations to provide nutritious and culturally relevant options at food distributions. More investment is needed to meet the rising demand at distributions, not less.
“Also missing from the Executive Budget were broadly popular initiatives including universal school meals, the Working Families Tax Credit, and a $100 minimum SNAP benefit. These initiatives would go a long way in reducing poverty and affirming food security.
“The New York Assembly and Senate will now begin developing their respective budget proposals, and state lawmakers need to hear directly from you. Join us in sending a simple message to your elected representatives: healthy food is a basic human right.”
Vera “just get it done” Halpenny,” pantry co-director, wrote this month’s newsletter and wants you to know that she appreciates “our fabulous newsletter editor, Kimberly Janeway, for her literary skills.”
Dobbs Ferry Food Pantry 