FeedHV Receiving Agencies Step Up to Meet Increased Need

FeedHV’s over 100 receiving agencies have been working through some taxing times, with their clientele being dually challenged by the cut in SNAP benefits and the approaching holiday season. It is also a time when it is more difficult to fill volunteer slots, and regularly contributing farms may no longer be donating as they have completed harvesting. But despite the obstacles, there have been many proactive and inspiring initiatives that these agencies have put in place to help their constituencies get through the difficult crisis. 

Around mid-October FeedHV Program Associates Christopher Braccia and Isabella Kemp began to hear uplifting stories from throughout the Hudson Valley. Across the seven counties FeedHV serves, agencies were enacting special plans to address the SNAP benefit shutdown anticipated November 1.  Counties were stepping up, new partnerships were being forged, civic organizations were getting involved, last minute gleaning events being scheduled, social media cross-posts were being made, and additional volunteers were being recruited; all in unity to reduce food insecurity. Even with the resumption of benefits the changes in requirements approved by the federal government earlier this year will eliminate some recipients from eligibility. Agencies are also taking steps to create additional programs or extend some of their temporary measures to brace for an anticipated uptick in need in their communities.

“During this time of increased need, it was incredible to watch agencies come together so quickly in each of our counties to address the pressing issue. I attended emergency meetings and last-minute planning sessions to learn about the programs our agencies were able to expand and implement in such a short time. Sharing these stories, helping increase community involvement and supporting agencies in need is one of the most powerful pieces of being part of a program like FeedHV.,” said Kemp.

Soon after the news about the SNAP benefits pause was released, The Dutchess County Food Security Council (a coalition of pantries and agencies) began to mobilize. Dutchess County pledged $150,000 per week for up to ten weeks to support augmented initiatives. This program only lasted for two weeks before the SNAP benefits were restored, but with these funds and the support of the City of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess Outreach took orders from local pantries and purchased from Red Barn Produce, a local food distributor and partner. Dutchess Outreach also helped coordinate the food pickups as well, organizing six central spots (hubs) at larger local pantries where smaller places could pick up during the week. In the initial weeks following the shutdown, Dutchess Outreach reported that it was serving over 200 household per day with their mass distributions which ran November 3 through November 12, with 88% of the people attending being SNAP recipients. During this period they distributed five times the amount of food than they usually do through their food pantry. https://www.svdpfoodpantry.org/

Also in Dutchess, the Poughkeepsie Farm Project dedicated additional free CSA shares this winter for those going without SNAP Benefits, and surmounted a fundraising program, targeting to raise $10,000. In addition, Fareground in Beacon hosted an Emergency Grocery Distribution on November 4.

Saint Vincent de Paul Food Pantry in Hopewell Junction, which serves three parishes, reported that their volunteers rose to the occasion to manage the unprecedented high demand of SNAP recipients requesting help. This demand affected all parts of the organization’s operations and finance, including adding pantry staff in the distribution, transportation coordination, and storage logistics. They also partnered with Dutchess Outreach and Fareground, who were instrumental coordinating additional food deliveries to meet help them meet the challenge.

In Greene County, the Greene County Food Security Coalition (GCFSC) was promoting its “Field to Pantry” program inviting hunters to join the initiative to support local pantries such as the Coxackie Area Food Pantry. As part of the program, hunters can donate all or part of their deer. Berkshire View Farms in Hannocroix generously donates processing at no cost to hunters.  It has been estimated that an average-sized deer can help provide up to 200 meals. Last year the program delivered hundreds of pounds of wild game, including deer, duck, and pheasant to feeding programs. The Coalition also posted a notice of “Recommendations for Supporting Local Food Pantries: A Practical Guide for Residents and Organizations” on its website November 1 to help potential pantry donors be more thoughtful and effective with their contributions. GCFSC was formed in 2023 as a network of 17 food agencies, local food producers, volunteers, and community members. They are currently working on more infrastructure for support in the coming weeks.

"It’s been all hands-on deck here in Greene, and the pressure hasn’t let up. The situation has been incredibly traumatic due to the SNAP cuts, reductions in Meals on Wheels and the fact that one of our lead agencies, Community Action of Greene County, Inc. has had to cut back its food program due to funding cuts. These programs simply don’t have the resources to meet the surge in demand, but we’re doing everything we can to help," said Braccia who is also a co-founder and member of GCFSC.

Across Ulster County, agencies prepared to face the crisis. To meet the anticipated need, Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger announced that the county and the Community Foundation of the Hudson Valley would be providing nearly $350,000 to People’s Place in Kingston, the Rondout Valley Food Pantry in Stone Ridge and Family of Woodstock, Ellenville and New Paltz, which are three of the largest food pantries in Ulster County with the widest operating hours and geographic coverage. People’s Place initiated extended client visitation to once per week through the end of the year. Rondout Valley Food Pantry was fielding questions from hunters about donating venison and was reaching out to local cutters about contributing processing services.

As a grassroots coalition of direct service providers, not-for-profits, activists, and community members, the Kingston Emergency Food Collaborative (KEFC) operates a food hotline and mobilizes volunteers to pack and deliver grocery bags to community members. During this time of increased need, KEFC’s Hotline volunteers began notifying those who were requesting emergency groceries that they will be delivered by the end of that week or the following week (dependent upon when the call came in). Establishing that delivery window provided the capacity for KEFC to complete a higher volume of deliveries throughout the week. In a six week period they completed eight emergency grocery deliveries while they typically averaged two per month. KEFC also met to develop a plan for adding additional families to its monthly grocery delivery to ensure that these families would continue to be able to access the program as long they need it, opposed to just trying to help folks in the short-term. As a result, KEFC was able to add eight additional families totaling 39 individuals (19 adults and 20 children) and also added an additional volunteer delivery shift to accommodate these changes. Working with FeedHV KEFC will be launching  a food rescue pilot program in the new year, developing a strategy to bring more food donors and volunteers on to the ChowMatch platform , which drives FeedHV, which will help expand access and food donations in the Hudson Valley.

A Single Bite, the Sullivan County nonprofit focused on feeding families, set plans in place to sustain its crisis efforts to feed its neighbors even as SNAP benefits resume.  A Single Bite provides prepared meals weekly, delivered by volunteers. Each week, they serve 1,200 servings of food for children and their families suffering from food insecurity. Each Family Meal arrives in a ready-to heat container and serves three people. Meals are made from scratch using local ingredients and portions are provided to meet the needs of individual family size. To address the need, A Single Bite borrowed an additional vehicle from a local business, added an additional full-time experienced culinary assistant, put into operation new delivery routes in every town, and saw volunteer hours increase by 30%.

In Putnam County, Second Chance Foods added additional volunteer weekend food preparation, cooking and packaging slots; conducted a Fill the Truck event in Mahopac. They had recently expanded delivery to lower Westchester County, and received an interesting donation of pumpkins from a private club previously used as decorations which they transformed into pumpkin and sweet potato pudding for distribution.

If you are a food business that would like to become a FeedHV donor to help one the network’s over 100 agencies, please visit https://www.feedhv.org/becomeafooddonor.