Helping the hungry, one can at a time

HARLEM VALLEY — Though it’s only mid-September, some folks are already preparing for the holidays. Specifically, they’re planning for those who might need a little extra help when it come to feeding themselves and their families around Christmastime. That’s why the 15-can challenge has been put forth — a food-drive campaign born on Facebook that’s catching on in the Harlem Valley.“One of my friends had it on their page, and I said, ‘That sounds cool, let me join it,’” said Wassaic postal worker Lisa Dunlop. “It’s that time of year again, and I keep reading about the ice-bucket challenge, and oh, man, I don’t want to do that, especially because this is for a local cause.”The way the 15-can challenge works is as follows: Every week while grocery shopping one purchases an extra nonperishable canned-good food item. This is done for 15 weeks, after which the cans are dropped off to the food bank of one’s choice (during the first week in December). One is encouraged to invite as many friends, family members and coworkers to join in the challenge as possible, to generate as many donations as possible.“It actually would make a difference,” said Dunlop, to those doubting a single canned item a week amounts to more than just a drop in the bucket. “There’s a lot of families out there that actually need help that are really afraid to ask. It’s kind of like the food drive for the post office, people need it but are too proud to ask. “And now there are so many people without jobs, and we’re going into the holidays again,” she added. “I was down at the Community Action thrift store in Dover and their shelves are almost empty where there’s supposed to be food. They just don’t have it to give it out.”Which is a problem many food banks face, not just in the Harlem Valley but everywhere. Millerton Food Pantry volunteer Stacey Moore said it can be a challenge to keep food on the shelves, whether a pantry distributes goods daily, weekly or even monthly.“There’s a big need, from young folks right up to the elderly,” she said. “[We worry] that the money might stop coming in and the food wouldn’t be there and then we’d have to figure out how to help that person or family.”Though noting the Millerton food bank has great support from the community, she said food drive efforts like the 15-can challenge make a big difference.“I think they’re very important because if the food drives aren’t happening then it’s ‘find the money,’ so the volunteers can go to the store and shop on a regular basis,” Moore said. “You can always use canned vegetables or canned soup. One can of vegetables goes a long way. It may be the only choice for some people.”Some of the local food banks in the region are listed below:The Millerton Food Pantry, Millerton Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 929, Millerton, NY 12546. The phone number is 518-789-3077.Vines and Branches, Immaculate Conception Church, 4 Lavelle Road, Amenia, NY 12501. The phone number is 845-373-8193.The Food of Life Food Pantry, St. Thomas Church, 50 Leedsville Road, Amenia, NY 12501. The phone number is 845-373-9161.The Pine Plains Food Locker, Methodist Church of Pine Plains, 4930 Route 199, Pine Plains, NY 12567. The phone number is 518-398-6080.The Dover Food Pantry, St. James Episcopal Church, Reimer Avenue, Dover, NY 12522. The phone number is 845-877-6046.Community Action Partnership, 3414 Route 22, Dover Plains, NY 12522. The phone number is 845-877-9272.Dover Plains Center of Compassion Food Pantry, by appointment, 7 Market St., Dover Plains, NY 12522. The phone number is 845-877-9076. Roe Jan Food Pantry, Hillsdale Methodist Church, P.O. Box 343, Hillsdale, NY 12595. On call five days a week at 518-325-4986 or 518-325-5613.The Corner Food Pantry, St. Mary’s Church, P.O. Box 705, Lakeville, CT 06039. The phone number is 860-435-9886.Moore added that while all donations are appreciated, before dropping off any items their expiration dates should be checked. Volunteers spend a lot of time sorting through expired goods that have to be discarded.“They’re of no use to us,” said Moore. “I don’t want to be ungrateful but it’s really getting to be a problem. The sales at the end of the aisles are perfect for us. Those 10 for 10 sales go a long way.”If unable to drop off the cans at a food bank nearby, Dunlop said the cans can be dropped off at the Wassaic Post Office in her name, and she will make the deliveries herself.“I’d be more than happy to take it wherever,” she said. “I just get the satisfaction of knowing I’m helping somebody and if I ever needed help I hope somebody would be there to help me too.”