Posts Tagged ‘food’
Monday, June 24th, 2019
On May 18, 2019, members of Prisoners for AIDS Counseling and Education (PACE) at Otisville Correctional Facility held their annual AIDS Walk. Here’s a look at the results of their fundraising efforts, which take the form of donated foods given to our Newburgh food closet.
This is a tradition that has been going on for many years and is a highlight of the year for the PACE Program. PACE members advocate for and counsel fellow inmates on HIV/AIDS issues, passing along life-saving educational information.
As inmates, the PACE members do not have access to traditional fundraising tools, so they collect donations of food from fellow inmates, purchased from the Otisville commissary. Inmates do not have the ability to earn or keep much money so these donations are extra-special. (We try to stock healthy, low-sodium items in our food closet, so ramen is usually not on our shopping list. In this case, however, we gladly accepted them, knowing how much work they represented. Plus, our clients who are not on low-sodium diets get to indulge in a treat.)
Special thanks to everyone involved in PACE Otisville, and for our Criminal Justice Initiative program staff for helping to make this donation happen!
Carmen, our Newburgh Program Assistant, and Barbara, CJI Linkage Specialist, pack away proceeds from PACE Otisville’s annual AIDS Walk.
Tags: CJI, donations, food, PACE, prisons
Posted in News | Comments Off on Annual AIDS Walk Donations from Otisville’s PACE Group
Monday, February 25th, 2019
Since continued funding was uncertain during the recent government shutdown, the SNAP program (Supplemental Nutrition Access Program, formerly known as food stamps) handed out February benefits in January. The caveat for recipients, however, was that they were expected to spread those benefits over six weeks instead of four–but for a hungry family, that can be a challenge. Now that the shutdown is over, clients may have gone through their SNAP funds already–and face a food shortage for the end of the month.
We weren’t about to sit back and let this happen, of course. HVCS is assisting clients in this situation through the food closet program. With support from generous donors, corporations and foundations, we’re offering our clients double the amount of food bags this month.
According to Hunger Solutions New York, which funds our Nutrition Outreach and Education Program, in March SNAP benefits will be issued early in order to assist SNAP participants to bridge the gap between the January payments and their regularly scheduled March benefits. All March SNAP benefits will be issued by March 7th.
We are committed to ensuring that clients and their families have enough nutritious food to eat no matter what happens in Washington.
Tags: Awareness, food, food closets, food pantry, News, NOEP, nutrition, SNAP
Posted in News | Comments Off on The SNAP Gap
Monday, January 14th, 2019
There is some important news for clients of our Nutrition Outreach and Education Program (NOEP).
New York State has taken the necessary steps to ensure that February recurring SNAP benefits (formerly known as food stamps) will be issued to all SNAP recipients in New York State by January 20th. If you are one of our NOEP clients, please note that this January 20th SNAP benefit is not an extra payment, but rather an early issuance of February’s benefit. Your NOEP Coordinator will work with you on how to budget accordingly since it will be coming earlier. It is also important to note that all households that require recertifications for February should complete all the necessary steps as soon as possible and before January 18th. Local SNAP offices are working hard to have these recertifications processed before January 31st. At this time, there is no information about how March benefits will be impacted. If you have any further questions please reach out to the NOEP Coordinators in your county:
For Dutchess County please contact Elena Dalia at (845) 360-9722
For Ulster County please contact Catherine Cortale at (845) 579-2558
For Orange County please contact Debbie LaBoy at (845) 522-5761
For Sullivan County please contact Pat Ocasio at (845) 842-1232
Tags: Awareness, benefits, Dutchess County, food, Newburgh, NOEP, nutrition, pantry, Poughkeepsie, SNAP, Ulster
Posted in News | Comments Off on Alert: NYS SNAP Benefits & Government Shutdown
Wednesday, November 7th, 2018
Chill Wine Bar in Beacon is hosting once again their annual “Fill Chill” food drive and dance party, with the 2018 event slated for Friday, November 16th starting at 8:00 pm. Drop off a few cans or packages of non-perishable food to help stock HVCS’ food closets for the holidays–heck, why not bring a whole bag of food? The closets also accept donations of toiletries and household cleaning products. Everyone who donates an item (or more) will be entered into a door prize drawing. You’ll also have the chance to enter the 50/50 raffle.
To keep things in the holiday spirit, Prephab, the region’s premiere DJ duo, will be spinning fun music ranging from disco to pop to dance. Chill will have their selection of wines and bottled beers available, plus their bar snack menu featuring paninis and cheese platters. Chill will donate a portion of sales to HVCS so make sure to eat and drink up!
Chill is located at 173 Main Street in Beacon. Please join us for a relaxing and heartwarming start to your Thanksgiving week festivities!
Tags: Beacon, donations, Dutchess County, event, food, pantry, Poughkeepsie, special
Posted in Events, News | Comments Off on Fill Chill Food Drive Party Returns On Nov 16
Monday, November 5th, 2018
Audi Hawthorne, which opened its doors just over a year ago, has become a donation drop zone to support HVCS! General Manager Nick Belli and his staff are collecting donated goods for the months of November and December, including non-perishable foods and warm winter gear. Everyone from the community is invited to stop by the service department to drop off items for our food closets. Audi Hawthorne is also taking in donated hats, gloves, scarves and socks, which will be distributed to clients of the Project Reach Out program who are unstably housed or homeless.
Most-requested items from our food closet clients include:
- soups
- pasta and other packaged grains
- canned fruits and vegetables
- tuna
- peanut butter
- cereals and oatmeal
- instant mashed potatoes
- holiday meal ingredients such as stuffing and cranberry sauce
- fruit juices (boxed or canned)
- boxed milk (Parmalait)
Visit our Food Closet page to learn more.
Audi Hawthorne is located at 151 Saw Mill River Road (Route 9A) in Hawthorne, within a mile of HVCS’ headquarters. Special thanks to our neighbors at Audi for stepping up to support our programs!
Tags: donations, food, Westchester
Posted in News | Comments Off on Audi Hawthorne Is Collecting Donations For HVCS
Friday, November 2nd, 2018
Rob, warehouse manager for Treo Brands, with J. Dewey, HVCS’ Director of Public Relations & Resource Enhancement
Treo, a relatively new beverage company, contacted HVCS with an amazing offer: they had over 180 cases of their product, in three different flavors, that needed a home. They had recently rebranded, streamlining their packaging, and needed to make room in the warehouse for the newly designed bottles. The beverages dressed in the old look, however, were still drinkable (and delicious). HVCS offered to distribute the cases of Treo on our mobile outreach vans, including Project Reach Out and our syringe exchange vans. A few weeks ago, we took the PRO van to the company’s warehouse in Port Chester and filled it with Treo!
Treo is an organic birch water (that’s right–sort of like maple syrup or coconut water) infused with fruit flavors. It’s also sweetened with stevia so it’s low-cal. The PRO and SEP teams have already begun handing out the product to clients. Most of these clients are unstably housed or have no home, and they appreciate any free food or beverages. Offering them a snack or bottle of Treo helps build trust and establish a rapport–and hopefully they’ll keep in touch with us for their healthcare and service needs. We are grateful to Treo Brands for thinking of HVCS’ programs and making this generous donation a reality!
Tags: donations, food, Hawthorne, prevention, special, substance use
Posted in News | Comments Off on Treo Donates 180+ Cases To HVCS
Friday, November 2nd, 2018
As cold weather threatens, the job for HVCS’ Project Reach Out team gets tougher. Life is also tougher for PRO’s clients, who are mostly unstably housed or homeless. It takes more work to find them, and it’s harder to engage them in the HIV prevention and addiction services that PRO offers. That’s where a warm cup of cocoa and a snack can make a huge difference!
Members of a “Pleasantville Moms” Facebook group recently banded together to donate several boxes of ready-mix hot cocoa, along with cookies and chips. The PRO team will be able to build trust and more easily engage their clients by offering them a hot drink on a cold day. And the donations keep coming! Thank you to the women who donated these products. A cup of cocoa is a small gesture but makes a big impact on those who may not have a warm place to live. By staying in touch with the PRO team, we improve their connection to healthcare and support services and can work together towards a brighter future.
Pictured: HVCS’ J. Dewey, Director of Public Relations & Resource Enhancement; Edgar Peralta, Project Reach Out Lower Hudson Senior Prevention Specialist; Anzie Roberts, Project Reach Out Lower Hudson Prevention Specialist.
Tags: donations, food, prevention, substance use, Westchester
Posted in News | Comments Off on Thank You Pleasantville Moms!
Wednesday, September 12th, 2018
Our “endless cereal buffet” returns to the Fishkill Recreation Center on Sunday, October 28th from 9:30 to 12 noon. Get your fill with an all-you-can-eat buffet featuring an array of cereals with mix-ins and topping galore, a variety of Hudson Valley Fresh milks, oatmeal, and fresh fruit, plus coffee provided by the Crafted Kup, tea and juices. We’ll also have a silent auction with lots of fun items, and everyone takes home a souvenir bowl.
“The Most Important Meal” is presented this year by Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union.
Tickets are $30 each but kids under 12 can eat for free. This is a great event for families–Halloween costumes encouraged!
We’ll devote the proceeds to our emergency food closets so everyone can feel good about chowing down on a Sunday morning.
You can also opt to purchase a table of 10 for only $200 ($10 off each ticket) and we’ll recognize all our table captains at the event. You can also place an ad or greeting on our placemats and in our slideshow presentation.
Special thanks to our incredible sponsors!
Title Sponsor:
Major Support From:
Silver Spoon Sponsors
Milk & Cereal Sponsors
Tags: donations, Dutchess County, event, food, food pantry
Posted in Events, News | Comments Off on The Most Important Meal Returns on Oct 28!
