Poughkeepsie Community Gives back
During the season to give thanks, you may often here a lot of “I’m thankful for my family and friends” or “I’m thankful for the food on my table” and other things of that nature. Sure, there is always the witty uncle or cousin who comes up with something original and clever, but we’re all almost definitely thankful for the same thing one way or another. However, being thankful for such things like the food in front of you may mean something entirely different depending on who spoke such words.
For those who struggle to provide food for their family, or a roof, or even those who are without a family, they’re thankfulness, and gratefulness is probably rooted in something deeper. Poughkeepsie, and the Dutchess county community are well aware of those in need, and many do their part in helping wherever they can. For the Dutchess Outreach Lunchbox, they typically serve lunch every day except Saturday, and serve dinner on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. However, for this Thanksgiving season, the Flowers’ family (who put together a Father’s day parade and Easter egg hunt every year) will be helping the Lunchbox with their Thanksgiving dinner this year. They are big in helping out the community in anyway they can, but the Kenya Grant, one of the cooks and leaders of the Lunchbox said they’re “happy to give them a place to work out of” this year.
The Dutchess Outreach Lunchbox is located in Poughkeepsie at 29 Hamilton Street (at the Family Partnership Center) in Suite 202 where all kinds of volunteers will help prepare and serve food for those in need as well as an after school program for some kids. Kenya Grant says they don’t often get the same crowd other than the kids in the after school program, and that “everyday is different. There is no same crowd and there are different faces all the time.” For this Thanksgiving, they are predicting over 100 people to come and receive food from the Lunchbox, but “are preparing to cook for more than enough.” Kenya also hopes to get the work out to enough people to make sure that even though most of the building may be closed or look closed, the area that the Lunchbox works out of will be open.
Although Kenya is unsure of how many years the Lunchbox has been running, she says there has been some good turnout from both volunteers and those in need for quite some time now. There are more than just a few individuals who help out, however. They consistently get students, yes, but they also get large donations from supermarkets and restaurants. They get pizza pies donated from local pizzerias, as well as food from Panera Bread, and their biggest donators; Hannaford’s and Stop and Shop. They prepare all kinds of food, but try to switch it up regularly to give a good variety. Kenya works there with her daughter, and is open to donations and volunteers of any kind.
Even those with the crazy aunt and loud uncle (or vice versa), mentally prepare and accept them on such holiday’s like Thanksgiving. Except, there are families where acceptance is not as easy as it may seem. There are some who may be thankful for a place to go on the holiday’s, where they have sort of a “pretend” family for the day. River Haven, a home designed to shelter and serve kids ages 10–17 who’s home lives are less than ideal. River Haven is located at 99 Thompson Street in Poughkeepsie and are open 24 hours a day, all year. Christina Caserta, an assistant shelter manager, has been working there for about two years, and says the shelter can take up to 12 kids, but almost never actually fills to capacity.
Typically, the kids that come have their own personal reasons for staying there, opposed to with their families. Christina says they typically come and go throughout the day, but “will typically stay for around 25 days.” The kids get to stay there, free of charge due to the kind donations and help from places like NYS Department of Education, Dutchess County Division of Youth Services, FEMA, NYS Office of Children and Family Services, Stewart’s Shops, and many others. However, on Thanksgiving, River Haven accepts all kinds of donations, especially a traditional big one from Traver Road Elementary School. Traver has Thanksgiving for their first grade class, and is donated by select families. Once their feast ends, any left-overs are given to River Haven a few days before the actual holiday so they can put together their own sit-down Thanksgiving. Other people will donate things like a turkey or cookies and such, but once all donations arrive, River Haven puts together a sit-down Thanksgiving dinner for any youth currently staying with them at the time. Christina says many kids will come for dinner in the safe environment provided, but may go back to their actual homes later on depending on their conditions and circumstances. Although they are happy to uphold a Thanksgiving dinner tradition, they are always open and accepting all kinds of donations from those who are capable and willing.
Any kind of outlet that provides any type of food or shelter never goes without appreciation, but there are other groups that help out without providing a place for people to physically go. J Will, a program director who works the afternoon’s at KISS FM and iHeart Media is also heavily involved with giving back. iHeart Media, who are in charge of radio stations like 96–1 KISS FM and ROCK 93–3 host what’s called a “Stuff The Bus” donation, in which people are simply asked to donate certain food items for those in need, and they try to get enough food to literally stuff a school bus. This year was the 19th annual Stuff The Bus, and it goes on for one full weekend in November, which happened to be Friday the 18th to Sunday the 20th, just in time for Thanksgiving. J Will explained that they send representatives and get volunteers to stand outside five select Stop and Shop’s throughout the Hudson Valley with a school bus outside and receive any donations made while playing good music for all to enjoy. iHeart Media partners with Catholic charities to help raise the food and get it to the families who need it. Once iHeart Media gets all of the food they need, Catholic charities then help distribute it to such families and take what they need.
Acceptable food items are the typical non-perishables. Food items like canned vegetables, canned soup, cereal, cooking oils, herbs/spices, graham crackers, juice boxes, mac and cheese, oatmeal, pancake mix, peanut butter and jelly, rice and pasta, tuna fish and even toiletries like soap, shampoo and toothpaste are all happily accepted as well as cash donations to help get food. Once they receive all of the food donations they can get over the course of the hard-working weekend, the food is distributed to places like Dutchess Outreach Food Pantry in Poughkeepsie, St. Columbia Food Pantry in Hopewell Junction, New Vision Food Pantry in Fishkill and The Pawling Resource Center in Pawling. When asked for an estimate, J Will stated that at last year’s Stuff The Bus, they raised an estimated 8,600 pounds of food to give to other charities and those in need. J Will also said they accept as much as they can take, hygiene has actually been some of the most popular stuff as of the first day of the food raising weekend. When asked if this was the only weekend, J Will said “We all look forward to this weekend,” but explained that there is technically one weekend in June where they try to help out as well. “We just want to give back.” J Will of iHeart Media said.
As easy as it is to get caught up in the food and football, it’s important to remember what we’re thankful for and why. I’m sure this Thanksgiving was even tougher for some due to the fact that it was election year. But regardless of who your uncle voted for, remember that you got to sit and eat with that uncle. Not everyone gets to be so lucky, and the Dutchess County community certainly didn’t forget. From families helping out at local “soup kitchen” type places, to shelter’s that provided a safe space, to all sorts of major companies and outlets giving back and donating and everything in between, hunger is definitely being fought in Dutchess County. Regardless of what you were thankful for this year, fighting hunger and helping any and all in need is something that everyone is probably thankful for.
