Alleviating Food Insecurity

During this unprecedented time of Covid-19, CHHOP has seen an outpouring of support from donors for both our staff and clients. That generosity truly shows the compassion and kindness of the people who are able to continue to donate during this time, whether it is a monetary donation or another donation such as masks or food. 

As both corporate and individual donors step up to the plate in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s good to see that concern and empathy are abundant in our community. So many positive things are happening. 

The website, Peekskill Exurbanist, which is about events and dining out in our area, started a fundraiser in conjunction with RIDE Peekskill and the Birdsall Market platform for Fred’s Pantry, which feeds the food insecure in this area. The fundraiser started with a $100 donation by Exurbanist, which then matched other donations by 25 percent. In a very short time they raised $1,506 for Fred’s Pantry. It is actions like this that bring the area community together. 

More than any of our other programs, Fred’s Pantry is supported by private donations. We need to continue to receive those donations. In recent weeks there have been a number of pop up food distribution centers in Peekskill. They are all volunteer organizations struggling to respond to overwhelming need. When the volunteers become busy with work again, those centers may have to disappear. The people who were getting food from those sources will need continued support for months. Based on its data, Episcopal Charities is expecting the current need levels to remain either stable or continue to increase over the next 6 months. Their data suggests that as the economy turns back on, many people who are accessing food services will not be going back to their service industry jobs over the next 6 months. Episcopal Charities has stated that additional long-term funding will be required to meet the rise in need. 

At CHHOP, we are focused on how to deal with fluctuating demand at Fred’s Pantry. We always want people to have healthy, nutritious food, but during this pandemic it is especially important to have the right food in order to help strengthen people’s immune systems. We have an obligation to not just get food to people, but to get healthy food to people — fruits and vegetables, not sugary, junk foods. Currently, there is a tremendous demand on food banks and we must purchase some foods, especially proteins, at retail. 

In response to this issue, CHHOP is planning so that we can be prepared to ensure that the food supply for Fred’s Pantry is uninterrupted over the next 18 months. We are continuing to gear up to meet the increasing demand for food. 

We are so grateful for all the support that enables us to feed our hungry neighbors during this very challenging time. 

Please take care of yourself and one another. 

Sincerely, 
Cynthia B. Knox, CEO