Hunger Is Not a Disease

The Freezers Came This Week!

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The freezers came this week! These beauties are 20 cu. ft. upright Frigidaires brought over by Snyder’s. We feel very special here at the Reservoir Food Pantry because they will change life in the pantry as we have known it in the past.
EVERY ADDITION TO THE PANTRY CHANGES LIFE HERE DRAMATICALLY BECAUSE WE’RE SUCH A NEW PANTRY. There’s so much going on over here that I have trouble keeping up.
Since September, 2013, we’ve gone from a homeless pantry whose volunteers delivered food to homeless and home bound people. In the first few weeks we were open, over 40 households found us.
Then, we landed a spot outside the Waste Water Treatment Plant, put up a tent, and served the hungry. I vividly remember the Monday afternoon we served 18 households. “Don’t worry” I told everyone. “In no time at all, we’ll be serving 25.” A couple of people looked at me with expressions of total disbelief.
Yesterday we served over 90 households in the pantry shed.
Two weeks ago we got the dumpster.
So now we’ve got
a shed,
a long line van,
a produce room,
freezers,
refrigerators
a dumpster,
a website,
a facebook page,
a free bookstore compliments of Lisa Libraries,
the best volunteers in the world.
We’ve got other things too but I have trouble keeping up.
iT FEELS LIKE WE’RE BEING HURTLED THROUGH TIME SO FAST THAT ALL OF US ARE JUST BARELY HANGING ON.
Only last week I learned that we’re ranked the 9th largest pantry in Ulster County.
“Is that true?” I thought. We’ve only been open a very short time. How did this happen?
But, back to the refrigerators:
We got them because of a collaborative grant request effort of several area pantries under the direction of Michael Berg at Family and Beth McLendon of UlsterCorp.
But, this isn’t the end of the story. It’s more like the beginning of the story…even though the beginning goes back to about 2007 or so when a HPNAP (Hunger Prevention Nutrition Assistance Program) directive offering preference to refrigerator and freezer requests in pantries in our annual HPNAP grant requests.
HPNAP wants us to use freezers and refrigerators because fresh/frozen food is more nutritious than canned. And, when HPNAP wants something, they usually follow through with funds.
Our little Reservoir Food Pantry in Boiceville routinely offers the absolute best, most nutritious, most delicious food possible for our shoppers…thanks to the freezers which go with our refrigerators. Hungry people shopping at our pantry eat fewer and fewer canned foods, many of which are heavy on salt, and dented.
Instead, hungry people shopping at our pantry choose cheese, yogurt, frozen veggies, fruits, meats. They also choose fresh fruits and vegetables brought down weekly by Prasida and Francine from Latham in our lovely long line van.
They take home eggs, milk, butter, and other refrigerated/frozen foods.
With the freezers and refrigerators, our take out packers don’t worry about running out of canned food. Instead, they go to one of the freezers and choose from the selection there.
This is your tax dollars at work. I say “Let’s all vote a raise for the HPNAP people!”
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Peace and food for all.
Thurman Greco

An Open Letter to Konrad Ryushin Marchaj

It seems only yesterday that we sent you an appeal for support.  We were a band of 4 people who barely knew each other, embarked on an adventure.  None of us mentioned it, not even to each other…but you were our only hope.

We were processing a 501c3 to open the Reservoir Food Pantry.  And, until it came through, we needed a sponsor willing to share theirs.  So, you got the letter, and invited us to lunch at Zen Mountain Monastery so we could meet and make our appeal.

We begged, really, but you never let on.  We went away that afternoon energized by your openness, professionalism, interest, concern.  Eventually you did what you did and we received the support from your group.

You gave us a raft on which we floated until we got our own 501c3 and gained acceptance with the Food Bank.

So, today, as a result of your efforts, there is now a pantry on Route 28 in the Ashokan Reservoir area of Ulster County in Upstate New York serving over 125 households every Monday afternoon.  The volunteers at this pantry look forward to serving the hungry for many years to come.

In conclusion:  Thank you Konrad Ryushin Marchaj for all you have done for yourself and your fellow man.  I saw you change the world around you for the better.  That counts for a lot in my book.

I wish you well on your continued journey of spiritual growth.  I am proud to have been touched by you.  On behalf of all the hungry people we feed each week, I offer gratitude.  It has been an honor and a pleasure.

I cannot thank you enough for your trust, your support, and your confidence in our humble venture.

Peace and food for all.

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Thurman Greco

Monday, Feb. 16, 2015, noon, 16 degrees at the Reservoir Food Pantry

I drove up to the parking lot we use on pantry day.  It’s not our parking lot, really.  It belongs to the old Robert’s Auction building.  The snow plow guy had cleaned the space very well so I knew right away that we were going to have a good day.  Then, I noticed that the walkway from the parking lot to the shed entrance hadn’t been shoveled.

WOW.  The snow was knee deep along the walkway.  Oh well.  At least we could park our cars.

It didn’t matter anyway.  The sun was out.  People could park.  This was the closest to a decent day we’ve had in 3 weeks.  We were going to be busy today.

I slogged through the snow to the shed and found Cheryl. Minutes later Bob and Tony arrived. Things were improving! The pantry day began itself. As volunteers arrived, we tackled our jobs:
Fronting the shelves in the pantry.
Arranging produce in the greenhouse.
Preparing takeout bags.
Checking to see if the greenhouse door would close (it didn’t). We’d had trouble closing it last week and wondered how it would manage today (it didn’t).
Finding pens that work for the sign in book. This is always a challenge when the temperature drops below 30.

Jean, a new volunteer in her 80’s, found a shovel in her car and cleared the walkway the best she could.

When the pantry opened, shoppers made their way through the snow from the parking lot to the shed. A steady stream of people came all afternoon. Those who had cars brought those who did not. They were:
Hungry
Cold
Grateful.

Everything stopped about 4 so we packed up and headed out. Only then did I notice that there was no feeling in my fingers, toes, nose, ears. Cheryl and I had worked in the shed where there was some heat in spite of the door opening repeatedly. (The wall thermometer showed a steady 36 all afternoon.)

Bob and Susanne worked in the greenhouse where, in spite of the heater, there was only cold. The open door made the whole room feel like outside. 17 degrees.
Prasida worked in the greenhouse for awhile as she prepared to go on her takeout run. Sean and Bonnie came by and collected produce for their takeouts as well.

We are, as a pantry, people racing against all odds to feed the hungry. We do much to make sure everyone receives fresh produce every pantry day. Our new van, just yesterday christened “The Beast,” will be offering more and more produce as the shoppers increase.

Most of our volunteers are similar to other pantry volunteers. We’re cotton tops old enough to have our priorities straight. We agree that feeding the hungry is important. We make time in our remaining days to do the job.

What sets us apart at Reservoir Food Pantry is the number of volunteers. We have many and more show up every week.

The bottom line: As a group, we don’t care if the weather is hot, cold, wet, dry. We’re at the pantry to serve the people. So, as long as we can get the food, there are now options for everyone in the area who is hungry:
Elderly poor,
Employed poor,
Food insecure,
Generational poor,
Homeless (sheltered),
Homeless (unsheltered),
Ill poor,
Infant poor,
Malnourished,
Newly poor,
Persistent poor,
Resource poor,
Situational poor,
Struggling poor,
Underemployed poor,
Unemployed poor.
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Peace and food for all.
Thurman Greco

Welcome Hunger Buster or Snow White or White Lightening or

Wheels with Meals, or whatever we come up with.

Whatever you’re going to be called…welcome!

We’ve got a contest going here:  If you name our shiny new low mileage Chevy Van, you’ll win the prize of a jar of peanut butter.

Our brand new shiny, white Chevy van 2500  has been a long time coming.  We outgrew Vanessa months and months ago but nobody  really talked about it.  Setting up this pantry has been a very expensive venture and we lived with the Caravan as long as we possibly could and then hung on another few months.

We held a fund drive in November which brought in some much needed $$$.  Now…thanks to everyone’s generosity Prasida is driving around in our brand new shiny, low mileage Chevy panel truck from Deitz Motors on Route 28.

Now, Prasida and Francine will  return from Latham on Mondays with all the food we need.  We hope we never run out of produce again…ever.

We’d been looking for months.  Finally, last week, Prasida and Bob Overton drove over and saw this gorgeous beauty  waiting for us.

I’m not into numerology very much but even I could tell I’d never seen such a gorgeous license plate.

This van might have surfaced weeks sooner but, energetically, we needed to open a space for it in our lives.  Plus, (and this is no small deal), Prasida had to get up one day and drink an extra cup of tea before 9:00 a.m..  That threw her into high gear and she really got things done.

This week, our pantry found a snow plow team, arranged for more electricity in our greenhouse, bought a Chevy van, and (whew) I don’t know what else!

All this happened because everyone got together for a lunchtime meeting on Tuesday.  To-do lists were  passed around.  People signed on the dotted line.

The Reservoir Food Pantry took giant steps forward.  I offer  sincere gratitude and heartfelt thanks to everyone involved in this pantry in any way.  We are getting things done this week that I did not think would happen for another year.

It is an honor and a pleasure to be a part of the Reservoir Food Pantry.

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Peace and food for all.

Thurman Greco

This Winter in the Pantry

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January, 2015,  is turning out to be such a marvelous time  in the pantry!  I just couldn’t let it go by without thanking you for all the support and contributions you made  as we began our project.

On September 9, 2013, as we began work to make the Reservoir Food Pantry a reality, none of us (Bonnie, Sean, Prasida, and I) had a clue about the real needs of people in the area.  Working in the pantry this month I’m coming to realize existentially what is really happening there.

Take our monthly delivery day for example.  January 12th  was dismal.  Nobody in his/her right mind would venture out of either house or home if it weren’t absolutely necessary.  Both volunteers and shoppers who could get out of their homes  proved  how valuable this little pantry in a shed has become.

Volunteers who could get out of their houses drove on icy roads to Kingston to pick up our monthly food shipment.  We loaded the food onto 4 vehicles, drove  it to the pantry, unloaded it and shelved it.

Meanwhile, Prasida and Francine drove to Latham and returned with 1300 pounds of beautiful produce.

All  this work was done during an icy rain, in unheated buildings, and on snow covered ground.

That was one level of motivation.  And, why not?  After all, we’re the volunteers…that’s what we’re expected to do.

Shoppers came to the pantry  as if the sun were out, the grounds were dry, and the breezes warm.  They stood in line outside the pantry and patiently, cheerfully waited for their turn to shop in the tiny little shed to get badly needed food for their households/families.

Oh me of little faith.  Shame on me.  Until delivery day I really didn’t know how the people in the reservoir area really felt about our pantry.

Well…as people tell me all the time “Now I know”.

I walk more confidently now.

Hunger as we know it in our country is both infuriating and shameful.  To fight this scourge…

We need schools that work.

We need communities that work.

We need support systems which offer people caught in poverty a fair chance to succeed.

Although safety nets in our society are almost gone, food pantries are flourishing in communities all over America.  Food pantries cannot fight poverty.  They can only alleviate hunger…a vitally important task in our community.

We looked everywhere along Route 28 for a home for the Reservoir Food Pantry. We finally created a jewel behind Robert’s Auction.

So, to everyone in the area…thank you.  With your support, the Reservoir Food Pantry is a success today.  We could never have done it without you.

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Peace and food for all.

Thurman Greco

 

 

Everybody Needs a Reality Check.

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The Kingston, NY  Walmart is our reality check.  We sit outside the store every month asking for food to feed the hungry  (except December when the Salvation Army gets the sidewalk).    Three solid days of speaking with the people entering and leaving the Walmart tells us more about the economy, the state of the American people than any fancy reports, economic reviews, sophisticated papers, magazines.

“Just asking for a donation to help us feed the hungry at the Reservoir Food Pantry.”

“What do you need?”

“Peanut butter, soup, canned beans.  Actually, anything you select will be given out on Monday.”

This month was no exception.   The weather was bitterly cold.  We all wore all the clothes we had and brought blankets.  No amount of extra gloves, sweaters, long johns, blankets worked against the cold.

We covered the 2 doors…just barely.  We had 1 person at each door from 10 ’til 4 all three days.  And, we could never have done it without the help of the customers who kept us all energized by opening their wallets as they ran past on their way to the building.

Prasida sat at one entrance all day every day.  The rest of us spelled each other at the other door.

There was the usual miracle:

This month we had no food for takeouts because the door to the takeout room was frozen shut.  So,  people donated exactly the amount and kind of canned/boxed foods needed for the takeouts.  We didn’t specifically ask for this food.  It just happened that way.

Our hearts were warmed repeatedly by the generosity of the shoppers.

Even though the place was cold beyond description, we feasted on the view of the mountains.

In spite of all the stories on TV and in the papers about jobs, jobs, jobs…we saw a completely different story.  We saw people:

with no coats.

counting their $$$ to be able to get just the items they need.

whose shoes were not warm enough.

who had no hats or gloves.

whose transportation situation was desperate.

whose positive mental attitude  resisted all efforts to beat a person down into the ground.

The energy of those customers will sustain us all on an even keel until our return visit in February.

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Peace and food for all.

Thurman Greco

Awaken The Connection

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PANTRIES CAN BE POWERFUL PLACES.    Everyone coming to a pantry needs healing of one kind or another. People come to pantries for just that healing.
The Reservoir Food Pantry offers an opportunity for all of us to find a place of connection and wholeness within ourselves.
This connections makes us aware that what we think and do matters, that our feelings and intentions are important, and that we are not alone or separate. We are not above or below others.
THESE REALIZATIONS CAN BE INCREDIBLY POWERFUL.   Once we become more aware, we feel more responsible for our inner growth and for all life around us.
Feeding people and allowing others to feed us makes us know that we are all one huge family on this planet. Knowing this concept can wake up the world.
JOIN US.   Work in the pantry, shop in the pantry. Participation in the pantry will allow you to experience deeply your connection to all living beings.
YOUR COMMITMENT TO A PANTRY WILL ALLOW YOU TO JOURNEY DOWN A PATH WHERE WE CAN ALL BE ONE AND DEEPER COMMUNICATION IS A REALITY.
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Peace and food for all.

Thurman Greco

Dear Neighbor

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THIS WEEK WAS GLORIOUS IN THE RESERVOIR FOOD PANTRY.   Although the pantry was so cold that the pens froze at the sign-in book, we didn’t even mind.  After all, I’m experienced with working in a cold space.  The Woodstock Reformed Church was never heated either.  So what.  It’s better for the produce, don’t you agree?

But, back to the glorious part…our first ever mailer went out this week.  Or, rather, the whole project was completed on Tuesday when I took the last load of letters to the Kingston Post Office to the Bulk Mail room.

What a wonderful feeling that was!  We’ve been working for months on this mailer.  Robyn Daugherty addressed envelopes on many pantry afternoons beginning about last March.

Bonnie Lykes and Felice Castellano took up pen and envelope throughout the summer months.   Then, other people joined in at the table and we finally finished the job this week.

Finalists included  Louise Cacchio, Garrett O’Dell, Susanne Traub, and Barbara Freisner.

Prasida and I signed the letters.

The entire project was a huge leap of faith.  After all, the Reservoir Food Pantry only opened in September, 2013, on Route 28 in Boiceville, when volunteers delivered food to 21 homebound households..  With little to no fanfare, we’ve been growing steadily.  The need for a food pantry in our area was great when we opened, and it’s even greater today.

WE SERVE OVER 900 PEOPLE MONTHLY.   40% of those served are homebound residents in the area  unable to come to the pantry.  Families and individuals visiting the  Reservoir Food Pantry weekly come from many different circumstances.  Some are single parent families.  Some work more than one job and are still unable to buy food after they pay the rent and get the gas to go to work.  Some have lost their jobs, their homes.  Still others are struggling with life-altering circumstances, be it a health issue, an accident, the loss of a family member, or other personal disaster.

The Reservoir Food Pantry was founded by local residents, Sean Bigler and Bonnie Lykes.  We’re fortunate to have the support pf volunteers from the community.  There are no salaried employees.  We nourish the hungry, both in our pantry and by delivering food to those unable to visit the pantry.  We offer canned, packaged food, bread and fresh produce regularly.  We also offer a limited amount of items of dignity.

THE PANTRY NEEDS YOUR HELP.   Your generosity is appreciated and your gift will be used to directly  help neighbors.  Please make your check payable to the Reservoir Food Pantry, and mail it to P. O. Box 245, Boiceville, NY 12412.

If you prefer to donate by credit card, please visit our website at www.reservoirfoodpantry.org/donate.

Reservoir Food Pantry, Inc., is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit charity and your contribution is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Peace and food for all.

Thurman Greco

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Thurman Greco

 

Do you work at a pantry? Do you shop at a pantry? Do you donate to a pantry? – Part 1

 

IMG_2647-150x150HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH?

That question lives in the brain of every conscientious coordinator.  It’s impossible to plan for pantry needs with confidence.

Much depends on a coordinator’s attitude.  Some feel that all they need to do is get food on the shelves and if the food runs out, well, the food runs out and who cares anyway?

I NEVER BOUGHT THAT LINE.

The building committee of the Woodstock Reformed Church as well as some people in Woodstock felt it was my job to turn people away.  They didn’t want too many people in the building and they didn’t want them getting too much food.

“How dare you serve this kind of food to these people?”

“How dare you serve this much food to these people?”

Some people felt shoppers should be limited in how often they could visit the pantry.  Once weekly was considered  too often.  The idea was to prevent people from getting used to the idea of getting food at a pantry.

NO ONE SEEMED TO KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE TO NOT HAVE ENOUGH MONEY FOR FOOD.

Fortunately for me and for the hungry, the Hunger Prevention Nutrition Assistance Program people stepped in with clear guidelines  which appeared gradually over several years:

2005 – We were expected to offer 1% milk.

2008 – Pantries were expected to operate the client choice program.

2009 – Whole grain breads and cereals are to be served.

New York State requires that food pantries serve a minimum 3-day-supply of food for everyone in the household.  This supply  includes food for 3 meals each day for the 3 days.  50% of the food is to be fruits and vegetables.  Each meal is to be composed of 3 of the 5 food groups.

Where pantries come up short in this scenario is the 3-day-supply deal.  If we offer a 3-day-supply of food weekly to a family who is home bound or who is totally out of food money, the  household will be taking a 3-day-supply of food and stretching it to 7.

If a person lives in an area with several pantries, it’s possible to visit 2 pantries for  a week’s worth of food.  This is  difficult for a family with no funds because it costs more gas to get to 2 pantries.  It’s also  time consuming.  A person doesn’t just run in to a pantry and pick up a few items.  Lines are long.  Waits are even longer.  At Reservoir Food Pantry, we try to keep waits to a minimum by opening as soon as the pantry is set up.  (This is usually about 1:00, even though the pantry opens at 2:00)

And what about the households in areas where the pantry only allows them to visit monthly?

“We don’t want these people depending on us for their food.”

“Pantries should only be available for occasional use.”

It’s extremely difficult to offer foods appropriate for everyone in a pantry.  This week in the Reservoir Food Pantry, we offered  the following choices:

1 cereal

raisins

instant mashed potatoes

canned beans

crackers

rice cakes

tomato base cooking sauce

canned fruit

canned vegetables

spaghetti

On the fresh side, we had eggplants, lemons, potatoes, kale, salad mix, papayas, bananas, onions. apples,  pears, squash.

Produce came from Migliorelli’s, Shandaken Gardens, Ulster Corps gleaning, and the Food Bank of Northeastern New York.

Bread came from Bread Alone.  Pies came from Meredith’s.

PANTRIES ARE CONCERNED WITH NUTRITION IN TERMS OF SALT, SUGAR, AND FAT.

Whether or not a pantry serves nutritious food depends on whether  the coordinator of the pantry knows anything about nutrition.  In a pantry, it’s often about choices.  If the coordinator doesn’t know or care about nutrition, the food can help keep an unhealthy person sick.

FOR EXAMPLE, MANY SHOPPERS AT RESERVOIR FOOD PANTRY ARE OVER 65.   Current statistics show that 1 in 7 seniors don’t even get enough food to eat.  When a senior doesn’t get enough to eat, s/he may get sick causing problems for the children and grandchildren.

Reservoir Food Pantry volunteers make an ongoing herculean effort to offer only the best produce to our shoppers.   Prasida and Francine drive to Latham every Monday morning and return with about 900-1000 lbs of fresh food – much of which is organic.

AN IMPORTANT FACT:  Reservoir Food Pantry is stocked with foods donated to the Food Bank and offered to us rather than foods that we selected.  100% of that food has been diverted from a landfill.  The code is expired.  Cans are dented. Labels are torn or missing.  It’s all been rejected at a grocery store somewhere.

When we can’t get something we need, we rely on fresh produce to fill the gap.  We’ll continue to do this as long as we have gas money to get to Latham.

SO WE HAVE A PROBLEM SIMILAR TO THAT OF OUR SHOPPERS.  .

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Peace and food for all.

Thurman Greco

 

 

 

 

Hunger Hurts – But You Can Help!

 

RFP-Tent (1)When you donate to the Reservoir Food Pantry, you can be secure in knowing that your gift is not wasted.  Volunteers are just that:  unpaid workers giving generously of their time and effort.  Generous gifts have paid for food each month from the Food Bank where every dollar spent buys $10 of food.  Now, through a unique opportunity offered by the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, and the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley,  you can give directly to the Food Bank knowing that your donation will go to Reservoir Food Pantry.

When you donate to the Reservoir Food Pantry through the Food Bank  Adopt-a-Program, you establish a special line of credit which will allow our pantry to have more food for our clients.  You will  stretch our food buying power with the Food Bank,  and you will be using your donation dollars to solve hunger needs on a local level.  You will be using your donation money in the most efficient and effective way possible.

You can reach the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley at 845-534-5344.  Or, you can reach the Food Bank through www.foodbankofhudsonvalley.org.

Thank you in advance for your thoughtfulness and generosity.  Thank you for helping us to help  friends, relatives, and neighbors who find themselves struggling to put enough food on the table.

When you donate to the Food Bank  Adopt-a-Program, you give so we can deliver and the struggling hungry can receive.  When we feed the hungry, we strengthen the entire community as we assist those who are most vulnerable.

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Peace and food for all.

Thurman Greco