December 2025

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Thanks For All You Give

By Duke Coffey

I’ve been with the Dobbs Ferry Food Pantry for seven years, about what you’d expect to get in New York State for 3rd-degree burglary with one prior conviction. It’s my view that over all that time this Thanksgiving was the best that you – yes, YOU – provided for our Rivertown neighbors to help meet their basic needs. We know your increased participation reflects the dual forces of high food prices and government cutbacks in public support programs, and that makes the results more remarkable.

Your response was so overwhelming that this edition of the Newsletter is dedicated to thanking as many of you as space allows.

Greenburgh Parks & Recreation to the Rescue

 We want to give a big shoutout to the Town of Greenburgh Department of Parks & Recreation and its commissioner, Joe Lucasey (photo left), for enabling us to store 128 high-quality frozen Thanksgiving turkeys in their freezer, thereby making the turkey giveaway possible.  They also sent two of their staff  — X and Y  (center photo) — to deliver the same to the Food Pantry’s November 19th distribution day. Thank you Corey for your hard work unloading. The money for the turkeys was donated by the Family of Kristy Fitzgerald and Michael Pagliano.

United Ardsley Methodists Always Delivers the Goods

Every third Wednesday of every month, the UAM delivers the results of its food drive for the benefit of the Food Pantry.  And with rare exception, it’s Ken Stahn behind the wheel. The Food Pantry and its clients are very grateful to be their beneficiaries. The Pantry has had a long relationship with our contacts Ken and Judy Whelan.

Sewa Diwali Doubles Its Last Thanksgiving Donation

Volunteers help unload.

The Members of New York Vibhag Sewa Diwali, one of the Food Pantry’s largest volume donors, used a 9-car caravan to deliver 5,000 pounds of food to the DF Food Panty, surpassing the amount the organization previously donated.  Sewa Diwali brings faith-based organizations together to combat food insecurity.                 

The Annual Coat Drive

Michelle Peluzo and husband Mark Fader deliver piles of new winter coats for the family’s annual coat drive.
Retired Food Pantry volunteer Kimberly Janeway plays haberdasher for a day.
Volunteers help clients sort through styles and sizes

The Bronx (Food) Bombers

It says something about the reputation of the Food Pantry when students from Fordham Prep in The Bronx collect a huge amount of food and helped load it into the cars of our volunteers who drove it up to Dobbs Ferry.

Neighbors Helping Neighbors

Christina Galluzzo, VP Dobbs Ferry PTSA, and DF High School students Killian O’Connor, Andrew Zendel and Ren Orkin
Our friend and neighbor Gordon dropped off donations from Zion Episcopal Church. Gordon is the well-known face of Zion’s Treetop Thrift Shop.
Springhurst Elementary School Donations, PE Department: PE Department Deena Merhen, Vincent Garofalo, Stephanie Pecora.

Emilie Encisco, co-chair of the Community Nursery School Parents Committee, poses with daughter Anna, with donations for the Food Pantry gathered at the school’s annual Halloween Hoot. CNS Director Linda Jo Platt said that CNS continues to collect shelf-stable food, and household and personal hygiene products throughout the school year

Elmwood Country Day School donation delivered by Sara Arcaya (photo left), co-director of the school and a long-time supporter of DFFP. The donations were collected from the school’s recent Turkey Trot event. 
Jennifer Bowen Neergaard of Irvington (not shown) organized a food drive in her neighborhood that filled three carts when delivered by John DeGroat (left ) of Dobbs Ferry into the capable hands of DFFP volunteer Bill Constant
Thank you to Mary Alice Fahy from DFHS and Christina Galluzzo VP PTSA who organized the Pie Drive. It was one of the day’s most popular stops!

The Scarsdale Women’s Club never misses a holiday. Carol and Maryann (photo left) dropped off over 30 board games and puzzles for our kids and families, while Virginia (center photo) did the heavy hauling. Vera Karaqi and Laurie Cameron (above right) from The Extended Family.

Olivia turns over donations from Irvington Presbyterian Church to Ground Operations manager Gene Hallacy
The Brockhoff Family drops off donations.

Additionally, we would like to thank the following for their generosity:

Sound Associates

The Alcott School

The Hasting Cub Scouts

Club Pilates of Ardsley

Ardsley High School

Dobbs Ferry High School

THe Greenburgh Hebrew Center

Cabrini of Westchester

And all of our individual donors who contributed money, food, cleaning supplies, baby products and items from our Amazon wish list. We are deeply grateful for your continued support. Your kindness  has made a real and immediate difference for individuals and families in our community. 

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