Fall means change and we’ve had some changes here at the pantry. I’ve been the pantry co-director for several years, but I will be stepping back a bit to focus on my paid work. I’ve passed the torch to another volunteer, Donna Assumma. I will continue as the pantry treasurer, and will work at the pantry on as many Wednesday mornings as possible. With Donna and Vera Halpenny steering the ship that is the Dobbs Ferry Food Pantry, we are in good hands!
Gretchen Skaggs, at left, has stepped down as co-director. Donna Assumma, center, and Vera Halpenny are now co-directors.
And we’re not the only ones who know what an amazing person Donna Assumma is! Donna was rightfully honored recently by the Dobbs Ferry Democrats for her tireless volunteerism and contributions to Dobbs Ferry. In addition to her role over the last few years as the pantry’s operations manager, Donna has also chaired the village’s Nominating Committee for the last four years. As the mayor said when presenting Donna with her award, to know Donna is to love Donna. Much deserved kudos!
Mayor Vincent Rossillo praised Donna Assumma for her contributions to the village.
It Takes a Village
We here at the pantry rely heavily on monthly donations from local churches, synagogues, civic organizations and other groups.
A very special thank you to Ardsley United Methodist Church. For the last several years AUM has held monthly food drives for our pantry. Every month, Ken arrives with a car filled to the brim with shelf-stable foods, and hands us a stack of checks and grocery store gift cards from the congregation. We are forever grateful for your consistent generosity!
Members of Ardsley United Methodist Church have supported our food pantry for years.
Another regular donor who we couldn’t live without is The Scarsdale Woman’s Club. We look forward to their monthly deliveries of food, diapers and smiles!
If you are part of an organization or group that would like to do a food drive for us, please reach out to Kristy at kristymfitzgerald@hotmail.com, and she’ll let you know what we need most.
We had a lovely visit from the people participating in the day community program of Living Resources, a group “dedicated to empowering individuals with disabilities or other life-challenging conditions to live with dignity, independence, and happiness.” Our visitors kindly helped us bag groceries for deliveries to our clients! Thank you.
It’s that time of year! We hope you are all registered to vote and we thank Molly, Maria and Pat for making sure as many of our clients as possible are registered, too!
Believe it or not, we are already planning for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Hanukkah, the busiest time of year for the pantry! Please consider making a financial donation to help us make sure that all of our neighbors have a table full of food to share with their families on the holidays.
Gretchen Skaggs, pantry treasurer, wrote this month’s newsletter. We thank her a million times over for all that she has done to help our neighbors in need.
Dobbs Ferry Food Pantry 