 |
|
We are an all-volunteer coalition of community organizations, houses of worship, and concerned citizens dedicated to assisting local families who need food. We run a food pantry twice a month that distributes a nutritional bag of groceries providing four days of meals.
|
I
The Kindness of Neighbors
I'm often asked whether the demand for food assistance from u
s
h
as grown in recent years. The short answer is yes. While the increase in th
e
number of Food Pan
try clients hasn't grown dramatically, the trend has been steadily upward. The table on the left
shows our statistics for the 12-month period
ending April 2019.
Fortunately, we have been able to meet the growing need for food assistance because of the caring generosity of the residents of Larchmont and Mamaroneck. While all of us who volunteer at the Hunger Task Force are gratified by simply helping families in need, we are also gratified by the incredible generosity of our neighbors. The vast majority of the food we provide is purchased with funds from private donations.
There are countless examples of this caring. Here's one: During our most recent annual fundraising campaign we received this note: "Thank you for all that you do to support our fellow community members. We were so happy to raise $500 to support the Task Force in furthering its mission. We hope to make this "Holiday Candygrams" fundraiser a yearly tradition at Mamaroneck High School and continue to raise money for your organization. Sincerely, MHS Class of 2019 Senior Student Council."
If you would like to make a donation to the Hunger Task Force, here's an easy way to do it. Visit the Contribute page on our website: www.lmfoodpantry.org/contribute and click on this PayPal Giving Fund button.
By using this method to contribute, 100% of your donation goes directly to us with no transaction fees.
Thank you for your support.
Malcolm Frouman
President, LMHTF
|
I
A Match Made in Mamaroneck
While the primary mission of the Hunger Task Force is to provide much-needed food to struggling local families, in recent years we have been broadening our efforts to help the underserved in our communities.
An important extension of these efforts is health care. With the eagerly anticipated opening of the Mamaroneck Open Door Family Medical Center in May 2017, just a few blocks from the Food Pantry, there was a collaboration waiting to happen.
Fortunately, Feeding Westchester, one of our key sources of the food we offer at the Food Pantry, provided the Task Force and Open Door with an ideal way to work together: The Fresh Market produce distribution that provides over 10,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables every month, free of charge, to nearly 250 families.
Open Door Mamaroneck has been an important addition to the community. Along with the Mamaroneck location, Open Door has community health centers in five other locations, seven School-Based Health Centers, a mobile dental van, and a dental practice. Founded as a free clinic in 1972, Open Door is nationally recognized as an innovator in compassionate, outcomes-oriented health care for all - consistently surpassing national benchmarks for patient outcomes.
|
|
|
The Mamaroneck Open Door Team
(left to right) Marlen Oseguera, Senior Patient Care Technician; Marisol Navarro, Patient Care Specialist; Jaqueline Linares, Senior Patient Service Representative; Jenifer Pagan, Licensed Practical Nurse; Panagiota Vaturina, Registered Nurse; Lidymar Ruiz, MBA Group Practice Site Administrator; Concepcion Rojas, Patient Care Technician
|
Good nutrition is essential to good health, but one in five people in our region struggle with food insecurity - lack of consistent access to adequate, affordable, nutritious food. Open Door works with community partners, including the Larchmont Mamaroneck Hunger Task Force, to address food insecurity among its patients. And Open Door gives patients user-friendly education on making healthy dietary changes. Services include food distribution programs, nutrition counseling, medical nutrition therapy, cooking classes, and group educational programs with coaches.
Open Door is a trusted, longstanding presence throughout Westchester and Putnam counties, helping to build healthier communities and healthier lives. The Hunger Task Force is delighted to partner with Open Door in supporting the health and safety of our communities. To contact Open Door: externalrelations@odfmc.org
|
I
Help Navigating the Legal System
When clients come to the Food Pantry to receive food, they'll sometimes find representatives of other organizations offering information about their services. Whether it's nutrition or diabetes-prevention information or legal help, these programs represent our efforts to expand the Task Force's assistance to underserved residents in our community.
Several times a year, representatives of the Pace Women's Justice Center (PWJC) attend food distributions to inform our clients of their services. The Center is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit civil legal services organization, serving Westchester and Putnam counties, providing support and representation to victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and elder abuse, with satellite offices in Yonkers and White Plains courthouses through their Family Court Legal Program.
|
|
|
Monica Ortiz, bilingual Outreach Associate (left) and
Attorney Susan Carroll
|
Individuals looking for general guidance or information regarding their legal rights or who have questions about navigating the court system are encouraged to call their Legal Helpline. They are also welcome to visit the Center's Walk-In Clinic where they can meet with an attorney or paralegal. Both the Helpline and Walk-In-Clinic are available Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm.
Last February, Attorney Susan Carroll, who supervises the Center's Outreach department, and Monica Ortiz, a part-time bilingual Outreach Associate, attended food distributions at the Pantry to describe the Center's services to our clients. Carroll has worked at PWJC since 2007 and has been Director of Training, Outreach and Education since 2015. Through outreach and training programs, Carroll raises awareness, shares information, and trains judges, police officers, attorneys, social service providers, law students, and the community on domestic violence, sexual assault, and elder abuse issues. Ortiz works part-time, through the department of Outreach, Training & Education, for PWJC, focusing her efforts on creating lasting relationships and connections with community members, partners and agencies.
"There is a great deal of need in our community" says Ortiiz, "and we are here to let people know about their rights, as well as the services available to those who may be facing economic hardships. I know this may sound like an utter cliché, but we really do advocate zealously on behalf of those we represent."
|
|
Boxes of Good Deeds
Three girl scout
troops in the Larchmont Mamaroneck area, Troop 2756 (1st graders), Troop 1844 (3rd graders) and Troop 2976 (5th graders) sold cookies door to door, at train stations, and at the local Stop & Shop. Buyers were offered the option of purchasing cookies for themselves or donating them to the military or the Food Pantry. The three troops gathered over 200 boxes of cookies for donation. About one third went to the military and the rest, about 130 boxes, were donated to the Food Pantry.
Pictured above are Terrianne Patnode and her three daughters.
(left to right) Charlotte (Troop 2976), Claire (2756) and Nina (1844).
The cookie campaign was conducted by their troops as a group.
|
|
I
The Mayor of the Food Pantry
Attend a Food Pantry distribution
|
|
|
"Mayor" Stanley Harris
|
and you're likely to see plenty of food - and Stanley Harris. A Mamaroneck resident and a client of the Food Pantry, Stanley, 65, began volunteering for the Hunger Task Force eight years ago by overseeing the line-up of clients at our Wednesday morning food distribution. Six years ago when we started offering the monthly Saturday morning Mobile Food Pantry in Mamaroneck, yup, there was Stanley, helping set up the tables of food and keeping order on the line of early birds who had arrived for the food distribution. When we launched the monthly Fresh Market produce distribution a year ago on another Saturday morning in Mamaroneck, there was Stanley, assisting those folks waiting to receive food.
Stanley grew up in the Forest House project in the Morrisania section of the Bronx and began his volunteer work at a neighborhood food-surplus pantry. After serving in the Marines in the early 1970s, he joined his family who had moved to Mamaroneck. He then moved to North Carolina for four years where he held a number of jobs including picking tobacco, oranges, and apples. "That was hard work," Stanley recalls. When he returned to Mamaroneck, Stanley assisted in the opening of Cafe Mozart, doing a lot of the cooking and training other kitchen staff. He has also worked in construction and landscaping.
"Our distribution shift on Wednesday mornings wouldn't be the same without Stanley." says Catherine Carney, who manages the Wednesday morning distribution and is Vice President of the Hunger Task Force. "I think of him as the second Mayor of Mamaroneck because he truly seems to know everyone. He's got a great sense of humor and people naturally gravitate to him."
Stanley has four grown children, two of whom live in Georgia, one in Tennessee, and one in Mamaroneck. He lives in Mamaroneck with his partner, Minnie Gaddis. Of his countless hours volunteering Stanley says, "I've gotten to know many of the Food Pantry families. This is not a job. I'm making people happy."
|
|
I
Summer Volunteers Needed!
Hunger doesn't take a vacation and the need for volunteers is urgent as we plan our volunteer shifts this summer. The Food Pantry is staffed 100% by volunteers. The summer is a great time for new people to get involved, as many of our regulars are away. If you have a college student who is home or have more free time yourself while your kids are at sleep-away camp, please consider donating some of your time to The Food Pantry. The dates for the summer distributions are July 9-10, July 23-24, August 6-7 and August 20-21. Here is a brief description of the volunteer opportunities that are available:
Downstairs Truck Shift. Tuesday mornings 8:30-11:00 am. Skip the gym and come to the Pantry for a workout. This shift unloads the food from the delivery trucks and sets up the cases of food for the packing shift. Please note you should be able to lift 20-lb cases of canned goods to participate for this shift. Volunteers 12 and up only please. Email
abbykatzny@gmail.com to sign up.
Packing Shift. Tuesday evenings 5:00-6:30 pm. This shift packs the groceries into the bags assembly-line style. This is the best shift to get younger people involved and organized groups are welcome.
Email
volunteer@LMFoodPantry.org to sign up.
|
|
How You Can Help
Specific items are always needed. Our most urgent
needs are cereal and shelf-stable milk. Visit our website
for more information on how to donate these items.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
