I Have a Question
“When I drive down Route 28 on Monday, I see a lot of cars at your pantry. I see many people. I have some food pantry questions. Are they from our area?”
My answer: “Yes, they are from our area.”
But, that’s not the right question and it’s certainly not the right answer. The correct answer is that we serve everyone who manages to make it to our pantry…no matter where they’re from.
In our country now, in the U. S. of A., we have people who are hungry. Many of these people work. Many hold down 2-3 minimum wage jobs. Even with these jobs, their minimum wage pay checks don’t have any $$$ for food. So, they come to a pantry for food.
They come to the pantry they can get to…not the one in their neighborhood. And, the reason for that makes a lot of sense. If they live off Route 28 but work in Cairo on Monday, they’ll never make it to the Boiceville pantry on Monday before it closes.
When I worked in the Good Neighbor Food Pantry in Woodstock, there was a volunteer who didn’t agree with this philosophy. A hungry man from Shandaken got a ride into Woodstock and stood in line for food.
The volunteer denied him food. He went away hungry. He came to Woodstock for food because he didn’t have a car and his ride brought him to Woodstock.
Pantries serve the people who can make it to their pantry. At Reservoir Food Pantry we also serve food to home bound households where the residents are transportation challenged.
It’s not where the hungry live that determines what pantry they use. It’s what pantry they can get to.
Food pantries and soup kitchens are our tax dollars at work. The government has decided the hungry should not starve to death. The government has chosen food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and halfway houses as places for the hungry to get food.
We don’t ask the address of any of the hungry in our line. Nor do we care.
Our job is plain and simple: to feed the hungry.
For the most part, the food that we serve is food that was destined for the landfill. Most pantry volunteers are just that…unpaid workers concerned about our neighbors, relatives, friends who are not getting enough to eat.
Thank you for reading this blog/book.
Please share this article with your preferred social media network.
I hope you found this article helpful. Please leave your comments below and check out our other posts.
Don’t forget to join the email list.
Are you working but having a hard time making ends meet? Check your eligibility for a range of benefits and apply for food assistance at:
myBenefits.ny.gov
I hope you found this article helpful. Please leave your comments below ad check out our other posts.
Please refer this article to your preferred social media network.
Don’t forget to join the email list.
Peace and food for all.
Thurman Greco
An Open Letter to Susan Zimet
Dear Ms. Zimet:
Thank you for speaking at the Hunger Conference in Latham on April 11th. You, as well as the other speakers, know the subject well and obviously care about the hunger struggle that many of your constituents face every day.
Thank you for accepting the position of Executive Director of Hunger Action Network New York State. Your energy, intelligence, and savvy attitude will boost the ripple effect of this organization to a new level…something New York State needs.
Finally, thank you for your openness at the conference. When you spoke about young graduates moving in with their parents because they can’t get jobs to pay off their student loans, you were speaking openly about a situation which many are trying to keep quiet.
New found poverty is sometimes a subject which people don’t shout about because they’re embarrassed. The symptoms of this newly found situation are often covered up because the people experiencing it are asking themselves “Where did I go wrong? What did I not do that I should have done?”
I have a name for those in this situation, Ms. Zimet. I call them the Struggling Poor.
We’re experiencing the same phenomena in our part of Ulster County also. Over here in Boiceville, it’s manifesting itself in different ways:
Seniors who never, ever thought about food pantries are now finding themselves in the food pantry line on Monday afternoons at 2:00.
Working people are struggling to buy groceries. They, too, are meeting at the pantry on Mondays at 2:00 if a family members is off work at that time.
Food pantries in the past focused on shoppers in a specific geographic location. We now serve the people who can get to us. Some pantries in cities are open until midnight to serve those who get off work at 11:00 p.m.
And, pantries have our own struggle for food. At Reservoir Food Pantry, fresh vegetables are important. We scrounged $$$ and bought a long line van which volunteers drive weekly to Latham for as much produce as we can bring back. We routinely run out of this fresh food at the end of every pantry shift.
Our situation is precarious, Ms. Zimet. We joke that we’re teetering on homelessness ourselves because we’re in a shed on a food plain. The shed part is fine. We’re desperately trying to find a place to move it where we’re out of a flood plain. So far, we’ve had no luck. The Olive Flood Advisory Committee, Woight Engineering, and the Town Board are doing the best they can with what we all have. But, the writing is on the wall. So far, we’ve had no luck.
But, enough of our woes Ms. Zimet. Thank you for attending the conference. Thank you for speaking. Thank you, very much, for sharing your energy which seems to know no bounds.
If ever you’re in the Ashokan Reservoir area on a Monday afternoon, please visit our pantry. We’ll be honored and pleased give you a tour of our 12’x16’shed. If ever you need a human interest story, I have many to share. I’ve been working in a food pantry for almost 10 years.
Peace and food for all.
Thank you for reading this blog/book.
Please share this article with your favorite social media network.
Please leave a comment.
Don’t forget to join the email list.
Thurman Greco
www.hungeractionnys.org
Something Every Pantry Needs
TOILET PAPER, TAMPONS, RAZORS
“I’m happy to inform you that the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York received a grant from….to assist your program with its food needs. Your agency, Reservoir Food Pantry (2539f), has received….from this award! It is a pleasure to share this good news with you and to know those you serve will benefit from this gift.”
WHEN I GET THESE SURPRISES IN THE MAIL, IT MAKES MY DAY – SOMETIMES MY WHOLE WEEK!
Immediately, I think about all the things I can get for the pantry with this gift:
toilet paper,
tampons,
razors.
This $$$ will be put in our pantry account as a grant to help us get food and other supplies from the Food Bank. This grant is called an “Adopt-a-Program” grant, or AAP for short.
Once the gift is specified for us, the amount goes directly into our line of credit. And, this gift is worth so much more than the amount donated. At the Food Bank, the AAP funds are more valuable than if the $$$ were used at a supermarket. The Food Bank estimates the amount is 10 times more valuable. This grant is very important for getting items of dignity: toilet paper, tampons, razors.
These grants are very important because they free up other funds for pantry projects. With these grants we’ve had $$$ available for other projects in the past months. Because the struggle for food is lessened, volunteers have energy for other activities in the pantry.
We have a new, used, Chevy econoline van which makes food hauling tasks easier for Prasida and Francine.
We received 2 new 20 cubic food freezers which completely upgrade the way we feed the hungry in the pantry.
We’ve brought a grant writer volunteer on board. She’s attending classes, doing research, and has written 2 successful grant requests already.
THE TINY RESERVOIR FOOD PANTRY WAS RECENTLY RANKED THE 9TH LARGEST PANTRY IN ULSTER COUNTY. For me, this is nothing short of amazing. After all, we only opened in September, 2013.
IN SHORT, WE’RE GROWING, GROWING, AND GROWING. We need every dime you can spare.
You can participate in the Adopt-a-Program grants. You can deposit a gift into our AAP account 3 different ways.
One way is to call the Food Bank of Northeastern New York at 1-518-786-3691. When you tell the receptionist you want to make an AAP donation, please specify that you want the funds to be earmarked for the Reservoir Food Pantry #2539f.
You can also go to the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York website and donate there. Click on the “Donate Now” button to use the secure online donation form. There you can enter the donation, and direct it to our pantry. You can also, if you prefer, set up recurring donations which will be automatically charged to your account: monthly,
quarterly,
annually.
You can also mail a check to the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, 965 Albany Shaker Road, Latham, NY, 12110. Again, please specify the Reservoir Food Pantry #2539f.
Thank you in advance for your generosity. Remember…your donation of $10 will purchase $100 worth of product for the food pantry.
Peace and food for all.
Thank you for reading this blog.
Please share this article with your preferred social media network.
Please send a comment.
Don’t forget to join the email list.
Thurman Greco
JSY…What’s that? Nutritionist Education!
Although we see her only once a month, everyone knows when she’s coming and they gather in the Community Room at Woodstock Commons early to be sure a get a good spot for her presentation. Amy is one of the pantry’s favorite people.
So, who is Amy Robillard and what makes her so fancy anyway?
Amy is the Just Say Yes nutritionist from the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley of New York State.
Food pantries, soup kitchens, and emergency shelters, through the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley offers nutritionist education, a service to our shoppers: a nutritionist who gives talks along with cooking demonstrations to the shoppers.
Although some people feel like this is a luxury that poverty stricken people shouldn’t have, I feel strongly that the food pantry nutritionist education is a necessity, not a luxury. Amy gives classes in cooking and serving fruits and vegetables. Very often the shoppers in the pantry line take home foods that they’ve never seen before, do not know the name of, and have no idea how to prepare and eat.
Amy teaches simple and affordable ways to eat more fruits and vegetables. She makes learning about nutrition and food safety both fun and easy to understand. Amy has a series of 11 different lessons that she shares over the course of a year. During this time, she will share over 100 different recipes which are low cost, easy to prepare, and delicious.
With Amy’s information, nutritionist education, and encouraging attitude, the shoppers take new foods home with them each week which they feed to their families. This is an important part of the pantry shopping experience.
Often, the new shopper has lived on less than 10 foods for his/her entire life. It is not unheard of to speak to people who have lived on beans, bread, and greens their entire lives.
To visit with a shopper after a year of shopping in the pantry is to interact with a totally new person. The experienced pantry shopper knows much about foods:
their nutritional value
their origin
how to prepare them.
We begin to notice changes in a pantry shopper within 6 weeks of the first visit. The very first changes we see are a straighter back, a more confident walk, clearer skin, smiles. People look better, walk better, and interact better socially when they are no longer afraid of living with hunger.
Amy helps facilitate this. She teaches them how to cook with pantry food. She makes them feel at ease at the pantry. She normalizes a hidden, stressful experience as she removes the negativity. .
I wish all pantries had a nutritionist on board.
Reservoir Food Pantry is happy to have Amy come visit whenever she can. We’re grateful to be on her schedule.
Thanks for reading this blog/book.
Please refer this article to your preferred social media network.
I hope you found this article helpful. Please leave your comments below and check out the other posts.
Don’t forget to join our email list.
Peace and food for all.
Thurman Greco
Is This Life Now?
The New York Times – Friday, February 27, 2015 – “Food Waste Grows with the Middle Class” – page A24
A recent New York Times Editorial highlighted the “massive food waste” around the world. I urge you to read it. It was extremely well written, as are all of the NYT editorials.
Containing all the right buzz words:
landfills,
hunger,
waste disposal,
global warming threat,
it just didn’t go far enough.
FOOD PANTRIES FEED THEIR CLIENTS SURPLUS FOOD INTERCEPTED ON ITS WAY TO THE LANDFILL. They simply no longer have the $$$ for food at the supermarket or they live in food deserts (neighborhoods where there are no grocery stores or supermarkets.)
Is this life now? Yes, this is life in 21st century America. This is not emergency food. This is the new way we live in the good old U S of A.
PEOPLE ARE OFTEN ASHAMED TO SHOP IN PANTRIES. They don’t want to be seen bringing pantry food home. They don’t want to explain to their friends, neighbors, relatives about their inability to buy food at the supermarket. Well, now they can move on past the shame and embarrassment. With this New York Times editorial, we can all see that hungry people lacking $$$ to purchase food at a grocery store are now a part of the solution instead of the problem.
Hungry people shopping at food pantries help fight food waste. Food pantry shoppers can now realize they are helping reduce global warming emissions.
People shopping at pantries are in a financial bind where they are forced to make trade-offs. They pay rent when they don’t have enough food to eat. They “heat or eat”.
Often, they make health care trade-offs. People unable to seek needed medical care are unable to make good choices. Eventually they’ll be forced to deal with the medical situation and the longer they wait, the more expensive the situation becomes. The healthcare $$$ has been diverted to rent or transportation to get to work.
Articles like the New York Times editorial make it difficult for citizens in our country to completely ignore the fact that more and more people are going without food in our great nation because they simply don’t have the $$$ to buy it. We can no longer deny that hunger exists and it is becoming more and more difficult to be indifferent about it.
So, now, with this editorial, those of us who are hungry and ashamed of the situation we are caught in can feel better about ourselves. We can now shop at the pantry and eat at the soup kitchen knowing that we are, in spite of the low wages we work for, doing our part for a healthy planet. We are fighting global warming. We are our tax dollars at work.
If you read this blog and feel you are among those who don’t have enough $$$ for food, now is a good time to begin to shop at a pantry for the food you need for your household.
There is no better time than now for you to not only support your community but also your planet.
See you at the pantry!
Thank you for reading this blog.
Please refer this article to your preferred social media network.
If you found this article a help, please leave your comments below and check out our other posts.
Don’t forget to join the email list.
Peace and food for all.
Thurman Greco
Thanks Jan: An Open Letter to Jan Whitman
Thank you for the wonderful job you did throughout your career at the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley. Many, many people are escaping hunger because of the direction you offered. This time at the Food Bank really amounts to your entire adult life because the Food Bank was your only employer. You’ve been the face of the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley for over 20 years!
Several years ago you invited me to serve on your board. It’s been an honor and a pleasure to do this job, although I’m not really a “board person” anymore. I’m a food pantry coordinator. I accepted the invitation because you asked me to. I never wanted to do anything more than feed a 3-day supply of food to each of the hungry shoppers at the food pantry.
When I met the other board members at meetings, I saw a group of people genuinely devoted to you…devoted to your concept of helping each and every person needing food, one person at a time. Your attitudes strongly influenced the board members. Board members attracted the resources needed to do the job because they were devoted to your dedication and mission.
What a gift!
And, while I’m focused on gifts – donations – money, I cannot overlook the grants. Jan, you are a wonderful grant writer. Grant writers in your category are as scarce as hens’ teeth. Very few can successfully bring in a grant package over $100,000. You have no problem with that at all. In fact, you brought in several in the summer of 2014. And, to top it off, you were very quiet about it. I only found out about them by accident. Then, of course, I spilled the beans far and wide.
Most recently, you introduced the concept of the Farm Stand to our area. What a change you brought: As a result of your leadership and innovation, hungry people have more access to fresh produce. You goal was to have Farm Stands in communities throughout the Hudson Valley where hungry people can shop for fresh produce at an affordable price: free.
I visited 2 of the Farm Stands in Kingston recently. One is located at People’s Place and the other at Community Action. People with no $$$ now shop for the nutritious foods they need.
What a concept: Excited, happy shoppers take fruits and vegetables home. The choice includes:
tomatoes
potatoes
onions
squashes
greens
grapes
oranges
apples
Jan, none of us should have been a bit surprised by your idea. After all, you’ve always felt individuals are important. Your Farm Stand concept makes more fresh produce available to the hungry on an ongoing basis. By focusing on feeding the hungry, one person at a time, you touched the lives of thousands in our area.
All this Farm Stand food is donated by grocers and farmers. No merchant is losing a sale by not seeing these shoppers at a supermarket line because these shoppers don’t have the income to buy any of these foods.
To accomplish this, you diverted food on its way to the landfill. The implementation of the Farm Stand concept is moving the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley into the future at breakneck speed.
Thank you for all you did over the years. When I think about this, I realize that you gave your adult life to the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley.
Reluctantly, it’s time for us all to accept your resignation as the Executive Director of the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley. You are adopting a new lifestyle. The time has come for corporate memory and focus to change.
The building housing the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley offers much opportunity now that Farm Stands are a part of the function in the area. This cavernous space is ready for someone with the energy, budget, and authority to move in the future. You know, more than anyone, that much can be accomplished with the right person at the helm. You set the stage for this to happen.
I served on your board. Now, I offer my resignation. It’s time for the employees and volunteers of the future Food Bank of the Hudson Valley to write their own story.
Peace and food for all.
Thank you for reading this blog/book.
Please refer this article to your preferred social media network.
Please leave a comment.
Don’t forget to join the email list.
Thurman Greco
This Winter in the Pantry
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.
Thank you for reading this blog/book.
Please refer this article to your preferred social media network.
Please send a comment.
Don’t forget to join the email list.
Peace and food for all.
Thurman Greco
Round 2 in the Food Pantry World – Food, Sex, and Money
ARE YOU OLD ENOUGH TO REMEMBER HOW WE ACTED IN HIGH SCHOOL? Everyone in class knew the which students were acting right, following the rules, and those who were not. There was no privacy, really, and no secrets.
WELL, GUESS WHAT. The same mentality exists in food pantries. Everyone knows which pantries play by the rules and which ones don’t. There are no secrets.
FOR ONE THING, THE SHOPPERS CAN TELL BY WHAT KIND OF FOOD THEY’RE GETTING. Is the food on pantry day composed of bent cans, stale bread trimmed in green, and frozen food which has obviously been refrozen more than twice? If the answer to that question is “yes”, then it’s pretty obvious someone besides the shoppers is getting the fabulous produce, the wonderfully fresh Bread Alone Bread, and the quick frozen meats and veggies. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out the volunteers are taking it all for themselves and their neighbors.
PANTRIES COME EQUIPPED WITH GUIDELINES, AND RULES SIGNED OFF BY EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS AND COORDINATORS. The rules are clear.
PANTRIES COME EQUIPPED WITH COORDINATORS WHO ARE TAUGHT THE RULES . These coordinators are trained by, supervised by, and evaluated by the Food Bank. Boards,
Church Committees, and volunteers are often surprised to learn that Food Bank supervisors do expect certain levels of performance from coordinators.
Until now, the Food Bank was quiet about what was happening. Well, that attitude has changed.
IF YOU WORK IN A PANTRY THAT FORGOT THE RULES, or if you know about about a pantry with volunteers who forgot the rules, be prepared to expect a surprise or two in the coming months.
THE FOOD BANK HAS RULES. The rules have teeth. The Food Bank is no longer interested in keeping secrets. After all, our court system is pretty open. Misdemeanors and felonies are part of the public record.
Over the past few months, the Food Bank has terminated a few agency memberships. Why?
Volunteers:
sold Food Bank products for their own profit.
kept food for themselves or gave it to family and friends or other volunteers.
used products for unapproved activities.
forgot there are health standards and that pantries and pantry storerooms should be kept clean.
THANK YOU FOOD BANK. Those of us working in honest pantries have hoped this would happen. Personally, I feel that there are very few pantries operated by people who make up their rules as they go along and have no respect for the Food Bank. These people are, however, ruining the whole scene for all of us.
If you shop at or volunteer at a pantry where the rules are not followed, please call 1-518-786-3691 and report the issue.
On behalf of honest pantry volunteers and hungry shoppers everywhere, thank you for reading this blog/book.
Please share this article with your preferred social network.
Please send a comment.
Peace and food for all.
Thurman Greco
It Takes a Community
ONE PERSON ALONE CANNOT KEEP A FOOD PANTRY GOING. I’m always reminded of this in the winters when:
it’s cold in the pantry,
snowy outside,
life is tough for the homeless.
This time of year, there are always wonderful surprises which keep my heart going. Last week, I got a call:
“Is this the Reservoir Food Pantry?”
“Yes it is. How can we help?”
“Well, can you send somebody over here to pick up a few things? Our store employees had a food drive over here and I don’t think anyone told you about it.”
Wow! I thought. “Sure, I’ll be down in an hour. Where do I come?”
“HOME DEPOT IN KINGSTON.”
“Thanks!”
So, I got in the car and drove over to pick up a few things the employees had collected. They underestimated their collection a little. It filled up the car. Food, cleaning supplies, items of dignity, clothes. One of the employees had knitted 2 gorgeous afghans! Another employee gave us a box of clean, very gently used baby clothing.
EVERY ITEM…FOOD, CLEANING SUPPLIES, APPEARED TO BE NEW. When all the things were stuffed in the car, it seemed every employee in the store had given something.
I DROVE THEM OVER TO THE PANTRY. EVERYTHING, AND I MEAN EVERYTHING, WAS DISTRIBUTED AT THE NEXT PANTRY DAY.
WE REALLY APPRECIATE THESE DONATIONS OF FOOD AND CLOTHING KS . We have many shoppers and there are few stores in Boiceville. Most of the people shopping at our pantry have both money and transportation issues which make trips to Kingston difficult. Some shoppers have very limited finances so $$$ for a winter coat is a real challenge.
EVERYTHING COMING IN IS CLEAN, PRACTICAL, AND VERY MUCH NEEDED.
Lisa Libraries donates new books for anyone who wants to read or who needs to give a gift. These donated books are free and available to anyone wanting a book.
If you want to donate food, clothing, cleaning items, items of dignity, household items, please drop these items off at 12 noon on Mondays. CHANCES ARE GOOD THAT WHAT YOU DROP OFF AT NOON WILL BE IN ITS NEW HOME BY 4:00.
We thank you in advance for your generosity.
Thanks for reading this blog/book.
Please share this article with your preferred social media network.
Please send a comment.
Don’t forget to join the email list.
Peace and food for all.
Thurman Greco
The Wednesday Afternoon Farm Festival in Woodstock
In typical Woodstock fashion, the town fought over the farm festival for years before it finally happened.
FIGHTS LIKE THIS HAPPEN IN WOODSTOCK ALL THE TIME. Every community improvement takes years of fighting before it becomes a reality. And, while this entertains many people, it holds up progress.
Those years of fighting represented lost revenue for a town that really doesn’t have a lot of options for income.
Oh well, I’m getting off track here.
THE WEDNESDAY WOODSTOCK FARM FESTIVAL MEANT SOOO MUCH TO THE PANTRY.
But, not how you might think. Symbolism is important here. As people go down the path toward the pantry, they begin to lose their connection to the community. This happens mainly because they have no money to participate in activities and they’re depressed, embarrassed, sad about being broke, sick, out of a job, going through foreclosure, etc. You put in the words here.
Every situation is different, but the process is the same for the people going down the path.
So, the pantry shoppers, for the most part, didn’t have the money to participate in the farm festival.
MIGLIORELLI FARMS OFFERED A SMALL MIRACLE AT THE END OF EACH MARKET AFTERNOON. Several volunteers from the Good Neighbor Food Pantry were allowed on the grounds in the final few minutes of the market to load up a car with some of the veggies. We then took them back to the pantry and stacked them to distribute on Thursday.
WHAT A GIFT! Migliorelli Farms offered a real emotional boost to our many shoppers as well as delicious, nutritious food. Migliorelli fed the body as well as the soul.
Now, the shoppers at least had a small connection to the farm market festival.
Until…one day a member of the Farmers Market Board of Directors called me up and pulled the plug. “You can’t have any more of the produce Thurman. People are not shopping at the market because they’re waiting until Thursday to come to the pantry to get the food free.”
“HOW CAN THIS BE? The pantry shoppers don’t have the money to shop at the farm festival. Have you seen the people who shop at the pantry?” I was shocked to hear such words from a person who had never set foot in our pantry.
“Don’t even try to talk me out of this Thurman. Our Board voted on this. The Migliorelli food will be donated to an agency in Kingston. It will not be wasted. You will not get any more of the Migliorelli produce.” And, with that, she hung up.
I was stunned. I felt as if someone had hit me.
AND, IT WASN’T THE FOOD THAT DID IT. Our pantry was going to continue to have enough food. The Food Bank offered beautiful, fresh, organic produce every week, all year around. All we had to do was go up and get it. And, go get it we would. Our pantry commitment to fresh produce was serious.
The pantry shoppers, many of whom had absolutely no money at all were being denied participation in a local event that anyone could get in to…all it took was money.
Then, somehow, I’ll never know how, a miracle occurred. Someone (some people) spoke to someone (some people) and attitudes were adjusted.
WE WERE ALLOWED TO GET PRODUCE AGAIN.
I never knew how this happened. And, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that some person (people) fought for the pantry. And, they didn’t care whether anyone else knew what they did. They just wanted the produce to stay in our community. They just did whatever was necessary to get the food to the hungry. Rules were changed. Votes were changed.
FOR THAT, I’M ETERNALLY GRATEFUL.
Whoever brought about this change created a positive energy ripple effect.
Whoever brought about this change definitely made me realize that all is not lost in this world.
In spite of this, I never felt comfortable with the farm market food again. I felt each Wednesday’s gift from Migliorelli’s Farms might be the last. I held my breath as Guy drove the van over for the produce. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw it return with fresh produce.
When the farmers’ market returned the next spring, I waited (quietly apprehensive) to hear words from Rick: “Thurman, Migliorelli is going to share its produce with the pantry this summer”.
Even as I heard those words, I didn’t believe them until I actually saw the produce. I always had a well formed Plan B ready in case we had to start making extra trips to Albany on Thursday morning. The need for fresh produce for our shoppers was great.
For the most part, these people were all in the process of losing so much. It was up to me to keep Thursday produce on the agenda at the pantry.
At the Reservoir Food Pantry, we are extremely proud to have Migliorelli Farms sponsor us. Our shoppers have beautiful, fresh Migliorelli vegetables every week . What a beautiful gift!
Thank you. From the bottom of my heart.
ON BEHALF OF THE MANY SHOPPERS WHO USE THE PANTRY, THANK YOU FOR READING THIS BLOG/BOOK.
Please share this article with your preferred social network.
Please send a comment.
Peace and food for all.
Thurman Greco
