In Search Of
Diane slowly walked the two blocks to the pantry every Thursday morning to work in the hallway a couple of hours until she got enough energy to walk home. “Don’t forget your roll of toilet paper, Judith. We’ve got hand cream today. Can you use that or would you prefer tooth paste?”
When she finally couldn’t work in the hallway anymore we had no one for the station, so we relied on Robyn who gracefully sat in front of the Items of Dignity closet and helped shoppers choose needed items. She lived in nearby Mt. Tremper. Her living situation seemed to be somewhat precarious because every few months she looked for a new place to live. I think she lived in her car a couple of times.
During shopping lulls, Robyn addressed envelope after envelope after envelope for the fundraising letters we sent out several times each year. So, really, Robyn worked two jobs in the hallway: Items of Dignity and Fundraising.
One afternoon Robyn came to my home. “Phoebe died yesterday Thurman. I need a place to bury her.” We found a quiet place in my garden under a Japanese Willow. She and Barry dug a grave and placed her beloved cat, wrapped in a rug, in the freshly dug earth. After sprinkling dirt over Phoebe, Barry emptied a large bag of mulch over the grave. I offered a prayer.
The next morning, as I walked by the area, I saw a cross and a little bouquet of flowers on the grave.
Leticia, our 99-pound wonder, seems to the casual observer not to be a candidate for heavy lifting. However, she shows up on Tuesday mornings ready for shelving action. A retired teacher, she doesn’t stock shelves. She packs them. No box is too large, No case is too heavy. A tiny Latina whirlwind, Leticia gives energy to all of us.
Our pantry shed is small so we rely on her expertise to have enough food available for the shoppers on pantry day. When Leticia finishes packing a shelf, we can’t even get a paper clip in the extra space. Go Leticia!
No one wakes up one day and says “I think I’ll go down to the local food pantry and volunteer”. People spending time in pantries, either as volunteers or shoppers, travel down a path to get there. For the most part, the people seek healing on some level:
A job has disappeared and they need a grounding activity as they seek the next job.
They need a respite from another situation.
They need to heal from an illness.
They seek connection to the community.
Food Pantries and Food Banks everywhere rely on the support and dedication of friends and neighbors to keep doors open. When you volunteer to feed the hungry, you share time and talents. Your skills are vital to our mission.
No matter where you live, be it Upstate New York, Southern California or anywhere in between, there’s a Food Pantry or a Food Bank nearby with volunteer opportunities. Chances are pretty good that your schedule can be met. Get involved! You’ll make a difference.
At the Reservoir Food Pantry, we need people to:
organize a food or fund drive during the year to benefit the many households we serve,
drive packages of food to home bound people,
work in the pantry during opening hours,
help prepare mailers which will go out several times during the year (This activity happens during pantry hours at the Reservoir Food Pantry),
work in our new thrift shop.
Volunteers working at the Reservoir Food Pantry, or at the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York in Latham, or the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley in Cornwall-on-Hudson, come from all walks of life:
students,
seniors,
business people,
church members,
service organizations.
If you know an employee in an area school, we are looking to organize a school food drive for the Reservoir Food Pantry.
If you’re interested in volunteering, please contact us:
Mary Mazur 518-786-3691×268 is the volunteer coordinator at the Regional Food Bank in Latham.
Jessica Fetonti, 845-534-5344 is at the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley in Cornwall.
Thurman Greco, 845-399-3967 is at the Reservoir Food Pantry.
Now is the best season of the year to volunteer at a Food Pantry or Food Bank. Everyone at these facilities is gearing up for the holiday feeding season so people are needed to sort food for distribution to food pantries, soup kitchens, and emergency shelters. Join in the fun, building teamwork, and giving back to the community all at the same time.
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Peace and food for all.
Thurman Greco
An Open Letter to the Members of the Olive Town Board
We had a wonderful day in the pantry last Monday:
Beautiful weather,
Gorgeous produce,
Generous canned goods from the Food Bank on brand new shelves in our shed just down the hill from the Wastewater Treatment Plant.
WE BEGAN OUR JOURNEY UP THE HILL IN THE PARKING LOT OF THE WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT. You’ll never know how much it meant to us to be in the parking lot up the hill. We spent months looking at every available empty space along 28. We went over to Olivebridge even, looking to see what was over there.
Several places would have made gorgeous pantries…except for the rent. We just didn’t have what it takes (and still don’t have), to pay the rent.
I was about to give up and just realize that we were destined to be a take-out pantry forever…until you came up with the Wastewater Treatment Plant.
SO, WE WENT FOR IT. We set up tables under canopies in the parking lot. We moved a bit closer to Route 28 each week because of the wind on the hill. By the time Beecher Smith agreed to share his space with us, we were almost to the road.
BUT FOR YOUR GENEROSITY, WE WOULD HAVE NEVER GOTTEN A SPACE. We’re eternally grateful. We’re feeding people; serving more seniors than the adults and children combined. Half of the households we feed are home bound.
We are definitely tax dollars at work. And, we don’t waste even one penny.
WHEN WE FEED PEOPLE IN THE RESERVOIR FOOD PANTRY AREA, WE STRENGTHEN THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY AS WE ASSIST THE MOST VULNERABLE.
Thank you for the opportunity.
Thank you for reading this blog/book.
Please send a comment.
Please refer this article to your preferred social media network.
Don’t forget to join the mailing list.
Peace and food for all.
Thurman Greco
Food Pantry Blog – Paying It Forward.
For a little over a year now, we’ve asked…and you’ve answered:
We sent out letters last year about this time to congregations in the area. Wesleyan Community Church and West Hurley Reformed Church offered food drives and donations.
The Zen Mountain Monastery sponsored us while we processed the 501(c)3 application.
John Parete houses our Take Out Department.
Beecher Smith hosts our shed on his property and allows us to use his parking lot.
The Wastewater Treatment Plant hosted our canopied pantry all summer as we worked from their beautiful parking lot .
The Olivebridge Library allowed us to schedule speeches to help spread the word.
JOMA lets us hold our board meetings there monthly.
Brad Bernard from the Community Bank is on our board.
Pieta Williams and the Ulster County Board of Realtors Community Service Committee donated Items of Dignity to our pantry.
Board members stand outside the entrance to the Boiceville IGA one Saturday every other month. Everyone shopping on that day shares something with us. Every bit of this food goes to our Take Out department where volunteers prepare packages for home bound households.
The Kingston Walmart hosts us for 3 days every month. The generosity of the shoppers is mind blowing. Again, 100% of this food goes to feed home bound residents.
Esotec Beverages shares its upscale beverages with our pantry. These foods go to our home bound people.
Migliorelli Farms shares produce every week.
Shandaken Gardens delivers produce weekly.
Ulster Corps volunteers bring produce over from gleaning projects.
Finally, after a year and almost a month, everything came together this week. Our pantry is open, it’s operational, everything works, and it’s wonderful! Board Members got the shed/pantry and outfitted it with lights, heat, an entrance ramp.
Today’s pantry shift was a day out of a dream. Everything flowed beautifully. With your support, with community support, we are on a venture that I never, ever dreamed was possible.
Monday afternoon we opened the pantry about 30 minutes early.
And, why not? We were ready. The produce was in. The shelves were stocked. The shoppers were there.
READY. SET. GO.
One senior in 7 does not have enough to eat. We serve more seniors at the Reservoir Food Pantry than we serve adults and children combined. We strengthen the entire community as we assist those who are most vulnerable among us.
Thank you for reading this blog/book.
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Don’t forget to join the email list.
Peace and food for all.
Thurman Greco
We Got Electricity in the Reservoir Food Pantry!
A lot happened last Saturday. While some volunteers worked at the Boiceville IGA food drive, others were working on the shed:
Wiring installation was completed.
Trak lighting went into the ceiling.
The new second-hand cold case now has a place next to the shelving so we’ll have a place for yogurt and other foods needing refrigeration.
The desk was moved out of the pantry to the new office area.
LET’S CELEBRATE THE FUTURE OF THE RESERVOIR FOOD PANTRY TOGETHER.
While that might not seem like such a big deal for a country pantry shed, it’s a huge event for the coordinator trying to make us winter ready. All in all, it was glorious! After celebrating our first birthday only a couple of weeks ago, we’re thrilled to begin our new year with a fully equipped pantry.
One year ago, we had nothing but a dream. I’m amazed…amazed at what a group of volunteers have accomplished.
We’re ready now. We’re energetic. We’ve got a pantry. We’ve got shoppers. We’ve got volunteers. We’ve got food. We’ve got shelving. We’ve got an entrance ramp. We’ve got heat. We’ve got a refrigerator. We’re hopeful for what is to come. We look forward to a busy and prosperous year as we offer a 3-day-supply of food to hungry people in the area. We strengthen the entire community as we feed the most vulnerable.
PLEASE SHOW US YOUR SUPPORT. Let us know you care about the Reservoir Food Pantry.
Thank you for reading this blog/book.
Please refer this article to your preferred social media network.
Please send a comment.
Please send a donation to Reservoir Food Pantry, P O Box 245, Boiceville, NY 12412
Don’t forget to join our mailing list.
Peace and food for all.
Thurman Greco
