We made it through the dog days of August! And despite some gruelingly hot and humid days, our fabulous volunteers always show up to make sure we take care of those who rely on us to help get them through the week with food and good cheer.
Ruth works at the pantry whenever she’s down from Maine to visit her sister, Mary Anne Griggs, a longtime volunteer.
What’s summer without camp? Elmwood Day Camp came through once again by doing a food drive that was the largest single drive we’ve ever seen. A huge thank you to Elmwood’s Leora Cohen for organizing it, and for getting all the campers’ families involved. Leora made sure the donations were what we really needed: tuna, peanut butter, pasta, low-sugar cereal, mac and cheese and much, much more!
Special thanks to Elmwood camp counselors Max and Carina for collecting the food and dropping it off. It took about 20 carts to haul all of it from the camp’s van to inside the church. Amazing!
Gordon, another good Samaritan, delivers weekly donations to our pantry from Zion Episcopal Church in Dobbs Ferry. He also raises awareness of our pantry’s needs with his congregation, runs Zion’s thrift shop and can often be seen shopping for the pantry at Stop & Shop. If you run into him, please thank him!
Also, a big shoutout to Judy Whelan from Ardsley United Methodist Church, who dropped off their monthly food donation and checks. This congregation has been a steadfast supporter of the pantry for years. And many thanks to our friends at Temple Beth Shalom in Hastings for their continued support, helping us help our neighbors.
How Are We Doing?
Every year, we survey our clients to learn how they feel about the pantry and the service we provide. We’re always looking for best practices in running our pantry, and it’s comforting to know that, for the most part, clients rate the pantry very well.
In our recent survey, many clients commented on the quality and variety of foods we offer, and most raved about our volunteers being respectful, kind, friendly and caring. Just the note we strive to hit!
We take all suggestions to heart, and try to improve our work and make it just that much better. Special thanks to Enzina, one of our bilingual volunteers, for administering the survey.
Thanks, again
As always, thank you to Mom’s Organic Market, a big favorite at the pantry, Stop & Shop, Sunshine Bagels and Panera Bread for their donations. We try to reach out to as many businesses offering food as possible, encouraging them to donate, rather than throw good food in the trash. It helps our clients and is good for the environment.
And to all of you who subscribe to our monthly newsletter, thank you for your concern and for caring about what we do here. We need more kindness in our world, and all of you make it a better place.
Be well and keep caring.
Vera Halpenny, pantry co-director, wrote this month’s newsletter.
Dobbs Ferry Food Pantry 