Herding Turkeys and Pies With a Little Help from Our Friends
It took more than one miracle to enable us to collect, store, move and distribute all that our generous donors showered down upon the Dobbs Ferry Food Pantry this year. Here are some of the many donor-heroes who made this Thanksgiving memorable for our clients.
Sheltering Too Many Turkeys
Gene Hallacy, chief of the food pantry loading dock, moved crates of 10-14 pound turkeys, some of which needed temporary housing for a week. One such turkey Airbnb was the extra freezer space at Penny Lick Ice Cream in Hastings, whose owner, Ellen Sledge, shown here, generously made available to the pantry.
DFHS Students Distribute PTSA Pies for Thanksgiving
Dobbs Ferry High School teachers Mary Alice Fahy (back row, second from left) and Diana Castellano (back row, far right) supervised 14 students in distributing 150 pies collected by the PTSA. The student volunteers also checked expiration dates on donated food, and handed out food at the distribution tables.
Food Donations Stretch the Pantry’s Storage Capacity. Yay!
Meg Bussert, a member of South Presbyterian Church, and Bill Naedler both live in The Greystone co-op in Yonkers, and they asked neighbors to donate food and household items to the pantry. Here they’re shown after making their first delivery to the pantry, with another on the way.
We can always count on Ardsley United Methodists to overwhelm the pantry’s transport system around the holidays. Ken Stahn (at left) of AUM, and loading dock volunteer Eric Sweeting stand with six wagons full of food and household items from AUM’s monthly food drive.
More Thanks
For the past 13 years our food pantry has helped our neighbors in need. Our volunteers are part of the story, but we rely on the support of Feeding Westchester, a food bank, and donations of money and food that go directly to helping our clients. Community Nursery School, for example, collected food and personal products that were donated by parents attending the preschool’s annual Halloween party.
Volunteer Robin Larkins, at right, thanks teacher Jessica Barney from Ardsley Middle School for the huge donation from the children and their families. The Ardsley High School Key Club also dropped off donations in November.
The Scarsdale Woman’s Club is a regular donor, and long-time members Virginia and Judy, at left, recently delivered the food to the pantry. At right, Ken and Gayle Dubensky dropped off two carloads of food in November. Ken operates Dealer’s Fantasy, which manages estate sales and more, and Gayle recently retired from the Dobbs Ferry schools as a teacher’s assistant. The couple takes some of the commission they earn from Dealer’s Fantasy and buys food for our clients.
Volunteers Pick High Points of 2024
Volunteers were asked to share their most memorable moments of 2024, the things they did or witnessed that epitomized the extraordinary extra-step efforts for our clients. Three responses stood out.
“Seven volunteers work together to ensure that our homebound clients receive a delivery every Wednesday. Typically, a volunteer delivers to the same clients every week, often forming friendships, like Les Radoman and a client who is very ill and spends most of her day resting in bed. I tagged along on one delivery and listened as Les and the client talked about her fears as her disease progresses. Les wanted to know more, and reassured her that he’ll be back next week. To this client, Les is a true friend and a connection to the world outside her apartment.”
— Kimberly Janeway
“Kristy Fitzgerald remembering to keep a loaf of gluten-free bread aside for the client with celiac, and the volunteer who helps a woman with a baby to her car.”
— Roubi Eliopoulos
“When you work here long enough, you develop a kind of tunnel vision that prevents you from seeing what’s right in front of you. Mark Rabinowitz doesn’t have that. In the blazing heat of early summer, as we were racing to get set up for the Wednesday distribution, Mark was walking down the line of waiting clients with a big jar of cold water and paper cups, offering each a drink. Some had been waiting in line for two hours.”
— Duke Coffey
And a big thank you to all of you not mentioned here who support the food pantry by donating food and money. Our neighbors-in-need appreciate everything we offer them, and while you may never meet them, know that they are profoundly grateful for all you do to help them.
Duke Coffey wrote this month’s newsletter.
Dobbs Ferry Food Pantry 