A Helping Hand

Raised in a family where giving back to the community was emphasized, Mickie O’Connor has carried that lesson with her throughout her life. O’Connor began volunteering at Fred’s Pantry x CHHOP three-years ago, right around the time she moved to Peekskill. She had seen a flyer that was sent out by Fred’s asking for volunteers to solicit food donations for the pantry. “One of my strengths is asking for donations. I got so much food donated that I was asked to volunteer,” recounts O’Connor.

What really stood out at Fred’s Pantry for O’Connor when she first started volunteering there were the other volunteers. “I remember the first time I went to Fred’s. The people who volunteer there really care about the people who come to the pantry to get food. They want to help and make an impact on the community to make it a better place,” O’Connor says. “I love talking to the people who come to Fred’s. You get to know them and their families, you become a part of their lives and they are always so appreciative.” 

More Than Food

While Fred’s Pantry is a place to access food, O’Connor notes that it provides so much more than food for the families with children, veterans and seniors who use it. “The question at Fred’s Pantry is always how can we help the community we’re serving?” says O’Connor who notes that before Covid-19 , Fred’s was a choice pantry and clients came in and shopped for what they wanted with one of the volunteers. Now clients come and pick up a bag of groceries that has been prepacked. 

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, Fred’s Pantry in addition to providing food, has also served as a type of community center for its clients. “People donated clothes and once Fred’s Pantry clients registered and came into the pantry they could go through the clothes,” explains O’Connor. “They have also had a legal team come in to explain tenant rights, clients take this information back into their communities and it has helped people avoid eviction.” 

Personal Experience

O’Connor is no stranger to food insecurity and it is one of the driving forces behind her desire to volunteer at Fred’s Pantry. She notes that many people think they will never have to worry about buying food, but O’Connor points out that it’s a situation that can happen to anyone. “When I was married we had financial struggles. There were times when I didn’t have money to buy bread and milk for my children,” she says. “My family knew, but other people didn’t know. They thought I was just another suburban housewife living in Westchester and that food insecurity wouldn’t affect someone like me. But it did. Once I was out of that situation it was imperative for me to volunteer at a food pantry.”

With Covid-19 tearing through the world right now, O’Connor, who is Branch Manager of M&T Bank in Cortlandt Town Center in Mohegan Lake, finds that a lot more people — who never thought that it would happen to them — are facing food insecurity. “Fred’s Pantry is so vital, especially now as Covid-19 has affected everyone,” concludes O’Connor. “Many breadwinners have lost their jobs and have no savings. If you can donate time, money or resources, do it. We’re all in this together and we have to look out for each other. We all have the same basic needs — we need food, shelter and love.”