Hungry residents of Peekskill and the surrounding area got a huge boost from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation this July in the form of a generous grant to CHHOP (Caring for the Hungry and Homeless of Peekskill). The $87,500 grant will be used to purchase nutritious food at Fred's Pantry and hire a temporary, part-time coordinator to work with the City of Peekskill and local food pantries to organize distribution of food to hungry residents in the area. Food pantries will be able to maximize their community impact when their efforts are coordinated.
Mother Cabrini Health Foundation
Founded in 2018, the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation supports programs that meet the unmet healthcare and healthcare related needs of individuals, families and communities throughout New York State. The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation focuses on funding programs that provide services to several communities: low income individuals and families, older adults, immigrants and migrant workers, formerly incarcerated individuals, persons with special needs, veterans, young children, pregnant women and new moms; youth and young adults.
The organization is named after Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first U.S. citizen to be sainted. Born in 1850, in a town near Milan, S’ant Angelo Lodigano, Frances was the youngest of 13 children. Fascinated by stories she heard from missionaries, Frances knew from an early age that she wanted to be a missionary. She received her teaching certificate from the Daughters of the Sacred Heart and wanted to join their order, but was told no due to her fragile health.
In 1880, along with several other young women, she founded the Institute of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart. The women were interested in traveling to China to be missionaries. With this goal in mind, Frances went to Rome for an audience with Pope Leo XIII. He told her to go “not to the east, but to the west” to New York. Frances was asked to go to New York to help the thousands of Italian immigrants already there. In 1889, she and a few other sisters arrived in the City. She began establishing schools and orphanages and soon Frances began getting requests from all over the world to start organizations in other countries. During her lifetime she established 67 schools, hospitals and orphanages. She founded Columbus Hospital in New York City, which merged with Italian Hospital to become Cabrini Medical Center in 1973. She died in Chicago in 1917 and in 1946, Pope Pius XII canonized her in recognition of her holiness and service. And in 1950 she was named Patron of Immigrants.
Her mission to help others is continued today by the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation. “New York’s poorest and most vulnerable communities are facing unprecedented challenges due to COVID-19,” remarks Msgr. Gregory Mustaciuolo, CEO, Mother Cabrini Health Foundation. “Honoring the legacy of Mother Cabrini, we intend these grants to have a significant impact in ameliorating food insecurity, helping providers as they deliver care and services in this challenging environment, offering mental health services, and sustaining other essential resources. We plan to continue to monitor the crisis, and we will continue to adjust our response as needs arise.”
Healthy, Nutritious Food
In addition to a food pantry coordinator, The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation grant also generously funds the purchase of healthy and nutritious food for Fred’s Pantry, the CHHOP run food pantry. Fred’s Pantry is struggling to get enough food to meet the dramatic surge in demand that has occurred over the past few months. Funding from this grant will ensure that there will continue to be food for those in need. Fred’s Pantry is dedicated to providing healthy food that is low in sodium for those with hypertension and low in sugar for those with diabetes to help support better overall health and build up the immune system. CHHOP will be working with a local health center to identify clients who need supplemental food to manage medical conditions.
Since the onset of Covid-19, demand for food from Fred’s Pantry has skyrocketed. From March 20 through August 20, 2020, Fred’s Pantry served 8,216 individuals (households) representing 32,816 household members. This is an increase of over 427 percent from 2019.
“The increase in numbers of people seeking food support from Fred’s is staggering. Since March, we’ve provided meals for one and one-half times the number of people served during the entirety of years 2019 and 2018,” says Cynthia B. Knox, Esq., CEO of CHHOP. “Like the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, we believe in supporting the most vulnerable in our area. We are thankful that the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation recognizes the urgency of the need to ensure families continued access to healthy and nutritious food, particularly during this time of increased vulnerability among our clients.”
