It’s a Miracle!
This article was written back in 2013 when we got Miriam’s Well up and running. I’m sharing this event with you.
Enjoy!
Lord,
When we drive Miriam’s Well up to the apartment complex, children gather round. Their mothers shop for food.
Lord, I’m so grateful for this truck. It took us exactly thirty-four minutes to design Miriam’s Well at the meeting in my healing space. It took us exactly two weeks to get her together. This truck is a miracle, Lord. When You work a miracle, You arrange for things to work perfectly. I love the perfection of this plan!
We put food in the back of Miriam’s Well, take it to Woodstock Commons, Woodstock Meadows, to the grounds at St. Gregory’s, and over to Tongore Pines, where the people come to shop.
There are no long lines, Lord. There are no waits. People just come to Miriam’s Well, get the groceries they need, visit with one another, and go home to wherever or whatever that is, with the food they need.
Dignity, smiles, positive thoughts, uplifting events. The whole scene is reminiscent of a time at a village well in a Bible story. That’s why we named her Miriam’s Well.
Only You could have done this Lord. You guided our hands, hearts, minds through the entire project.
How can we ever thank You enough Lord?
Amen
Thanks for reading this article!
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P S – The manuscript has gone to the publisher. I look forward to sharing this story with you in the coming weeks. Thanks so much for your interest!
Thurman Greco
Food Pantry Blog – The Fat Lady Sings
“The past, with its pleasures, its rewards, its foolishness, its punishments, is there for each of us forever, and it should be.” – Lillian Hellman
MIRIAM’S WELL, THE PANTRY TRUCK, BECAME A MIRACULOUS EVENT FOR ALL IN THE PANTRY. The shopper census in the building dropped by one third because of the food being distributed in the yard at St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church, in the parking lot at Woodstock Commons, and outside the Community Center in Woodstock Meadows.
IN THE BIBLE, MIRIAM’S WELL SUSTAINED THE JEWS IN THE DESERT. In the modern day Woodstock food pantry, Miriam’s Well, the pantry truck, sustained both shoppers and volunteers as we fed the people. The environment offered in the back of Miriam’s Well encouraged dignity and community. Volunteers craved the dignity and community as much as the shoppers.
“Today was a day right out of a Bible story. I’ve never experienced anything like this! We were almost traveling back in time to the age old gathering at the well.”
“Today at Woodstock Commons was absolutely fabulous! When that little boy ran around the community telling every one we were here, everyone was so happy.”
“Being at St. Gregory’s was so much fun! That tree we park under seems magical.”
“The people at Woodstock Meadows are so happy to get the produce. Many of these people really can’t make it to the pantry.”
MIRIAM’S WELL, THE PANTRY TRUCK, WAS THE PRODUCT OF VOLUNTEERS WORKING TOGETHER TOWARD A COMMON GOAL. The success was 100%.
WE HAD DONE MUCH FOR THE PEOPLE OF WOODSTOCK. Pantry systems were in place so solidly that they were a “lock”. The pantry was “running on autopilot” and going to function perfectly well without my services.
There were volunteers who wanted to move up in the pantry world.
There were volunteers who wanted to be the coordinator.
There were volunteers who wanted to take over pantry management.
There were volunteers who wanted to make more decisions.
The Building Committee was certainly ready for new management.
I had a book that I’d been putting off for several years. It was calling to be finished. I’d dreamed about taking writing classes.
Peggy was the best take out manager on the planet.
Guy Oddo had been “living” the pantry for several years.
They would make a wonderful foundation team for the new pantry management. They were well known, well liked, and respected by both shoppers and volunteers. They were active in their local congregations so they would represent the Interfaith Council faction well. They were both knowledgeable of Food Bank policies, guidelines, rules. They both believed in following the rules and they were both honest. They would be acceptable to the Food Bank.
The shopper population at the Woodstock Reformed Church was significantly reduced. Pantry deniers were going to have a difficult time complaining about extreme overcrowding in the building with significantly fewer people in the halls.
EVEN WITH THE REDUCED NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN THE BUILDING, MORE AND MORE PEOPLE WERE BEING SERVED.
A NEW PANTRY OPENED IN BEARSVILLE WHICH WOULD FURTHER REDUCE PANTRY CROWDING IN THE BUILDING. Fr. Nicholas was opening the pantry at the Holy Ascension Monastery 7 days a week. He had a plan for controlling the lines: call ahead to tell him you’re on the way. His number: 845-679-0600. Dignity, caring manners, a smile and the best food Fr. Nicholas could bring to the monastery pantry.
THAT WASN’T THE WHOLE STORY. People from surrounding communities were asking about starting pantries in their communities. Along Route 28 there are no pantries from Phoenicia to Margaretville. People were asking.
One evening, I was taking a rare moment to enjoy a perfect Woodstock evening. The temperature was cool. The sky was indescribably beautiful. I couldn’t help but stop for just a minute to sit on a bench on the Village Green.
A nice young couple came up to me and talked about the need for a pantry in Boiceville. Sean’s pitch was convincing. I bit.
ON SEPTEMBER 6, 2013, THE FAT LADY SANG.
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Peace and food for all.
Thurman Greco
Woodstock Commons Then and Now
An institution in Woodstock, the Sunflower Natural Foods Market, sits on the main street in of a piece of property once called Bradley Meadows. Bradley Meadows was a privately owned property allowed for many years by the owners to be natural. Townspeople loved it that way. Wild forest creatures inhabited the place: squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, migratory birds, wood frogs, spring peepers, newts, American toads, spotted salamanders, and the endangered Indiana Bat. There are even a few stories about a black bear.
Homeless people inhabited Bradley Meadows then also. Quietly, as far under the radar screen as possible, people lived. They pitched tents, or lived under the trees in the woods behind the Sunflower.
These homeless visited the pantry weekly. Between pantry days, it’s said, they dumpster dived for what food they could get.
Several years ago, steps were taken to turn the Bradley Meadows property into an affordable housing site. The Rural Ulster Preservation Company came to town. What a group! No matter what objection anyone raised about the housing project, the RUPCO team overcame it. The Woodstock Commons plan created much dialogue and discussion among some residents.
Some Woodstock residents fight change as aggressively as if their livelyhood depended on it. Historical events include the Woodstock Post Office, and the Cumberland Farms gas station among others. After much noisy back and forth the project eventually gets finished and we all forget there was ever conflict or that anyone even cared. But, it certainly beats boredom.
“They’re going to ruin the traffic in the area.”
“Using all the water is going to be too expensive for our town.”
“That’s a flood plain over there. Nothing should be built.”
“What about the wildlife?”
“Nobody local is going to get to move in. This is going to ruin the town.”
The dialogue could have been summed up as somewhere between “Over my dead body” and “When hell freezes over.”
After much haggling, horse trading, and politicking, the buildings went up on one third of the forested plot. Eighteen acres, designated a Forever Wild Conservation Easement, have nature and interpretive trails. One trail goes to the shopping center where the Sunflower, Rite Aid, and Bank of America are located which minimizes automobile traffic.
These trails have fitness exercise stations. One, an Energi Total Body Fitness System is good for overall fitness. The other station, a Lifetrail Wellness System Exercise Station focuses on fitness for those over 50 years of age.
The construction code is “Green”. Eleven buildings were beautifully laid out on the land, arranged in a circle so residents can connect with one another.
Woodstock Commons is an intergenerational development with two buildings for seniors/handicapped residents. Twelve units are reserved for artists. All buildings are non-smoking. (There is a specified smoking area in the gazebo.) In short, Woodstock Commons is an example of the country’s affordable housing movement. Woodstock Commons is eligible for gold level certification in the US Green Building Council Program.
People filled out applications and turned them in at the Ulster Savings Bank, and the RUPCO office in Kingston. And, finally, in late 2012, the first residents moved in. As each unit became complete, a family moved in. New residents moved in by ones and twos every few days or so until all fifty-three units were filled.
At first, the residents felt as if they were experiencing culture shock. Everyone and everything was new to the space. People moved from Woodstock, Rosendale, Kingston, Saugerties as well as other places. It took awhile to anchor and define the energy of the new community.
A true diverse community, people came from different educational, class, ethnic backgrounds. What they had in common was a desire to meet basic needs. Maslow’s Hierarchy comes to mind here. In many instances, RUPCO was a lifeboat for people who had lost their homes to foreclosure, weather events, etc.
RUPCO is a landlord and sooo much more. The goal is to create lively and active community for the residents.
The hub of the whole community is the Superintendent. Ken has the personality and drive to make the Commons as positive an experience as possible for the residents. He’s well liked by everyone and the grounds and buildings are well maintained. He has his hand in many Commons events. Projects include:
Organic vegetable garden on common property
Local barbecue events for residents
Nature classes with scavenger hunts on the grounds
Art shows
Birthday parties
Dance classes
Crochet classes
Sunday Morning Story Hour
Drumming circles
Holiday dinners for the residents
A real community has emerged as residents get to know one another. Babies have been born. Conversations are taking place over the garden plots, Saturday movies, community meals, and food pantry deliveries.
Even with all of these activities there’s a hunger for more. People are looking for a story teller to visit regularly.
So…we’ve come full circle. It’s rumored that one of the homeless who lived in Bradley Meadows now has a home at Woodstock Commons.
And, what about the wildlife? Some of it is no doubt gone. But, some of it has stayed on to become part of the Woodstock Commons community. New wildlife has arrived. Every time I drive on the grounds I see animals.
The place is beautiful. It makes me wonder what the fuss was all about in the beginning.
What a gift to our community!
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Peace and food for all.
Thurman Greco
