Pilot’s charity puts free pantries in food deserts
Inspiration came after helping victims of Hurricane Maria
Albany internal medicine specialist Dr. Jay Watsky, wife Jackie and their son Ben, a U.S. Air Force National Guard pilot specializing in polar flights, are the sort of volunteers who see a disaster on TV news and, within 23 hours, show up ready to help.
And after volunteering in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, they got the idea for a new way to meet needs in Capital Region food deserts. When the pandemic exacerbated food insecurity, the Watskys implemented their idea for getting donated food to low-income residents, even those who don’t have transportation to places where donated food is distributed.
Their idea is to install free, sturdy free food pantries — expertly built by the nonprofit Northeastern Woodworkers Association—in neighborhoods where the need is great.
The idea originated from that 2017 hurricane response trip. Ben flew from his Scotia home to Puerto Rico to volunteer just hours after Hurricane Maria destroyed much of the island. His parents soon followed. Jay, an endocrinologist, trekked into remote mountain clinics and searched urban rubble treating the injured. Artist Jackie helped clear debris from houses and make repairs.
“Ben was struck by the difficulty people had getting donated food,” Jackie said, recalling how many roads were impassable even on foot and many residents lost their vehicles in the epic storm. “When we got back to home, he began hearing from friends who were doing volunteer work installing free food pantries into low-income food deserts.”
When the pandemic hit, the Watskys saw parallels to Puerto Rico. Capital Region residents who lived in food deserts and had no cars often found it difficult to reach locations where food donations were distributed.
Jackie had friends at the nonprofit Northeastern Woodworkers Association, known in the Capitol Region for its beautiful furniture and art. The association volunteers built eight pantries that could be installed where the needy had easy access.
“Those pantries are built to last for years,” Jackie said. “They’re too heavy to fall over. They even have shingled roofs, just like real houses, to protect the pantry from rain.”
The pantries stand on strong legs with doors that shut tightly to thwart rats, raccoons, mice and bugs. A $1,500 grant from Stewart’s covered the cost of supplies ($250 per pantry). Woodworkers Lance Chase, Tom Moran, Pete Howe, Stephen Simmons, Frank Woods and William Cromie built the pantries.
Local charities volunteered to adopt pantries and keep them fully stocked with nonperishable food plus items like toothpaste, soap, shampoo and boxes of diapers that SNAP doesn’t cover.
The not for profit Family Promise of the Capital Region, adopted and stocks two of the free pantries. In normal, nonpandemic times, Family Promise recruits houses of worship with shower facilities to host homeless families for seven days. The hosts transform meeting rooms into cozy bedrooms and make their guests suppers and breakfasts.
The pandemic spurred Family Promise executive director Mary Giodarno to shift focus swiftly to alternate ways to house families, like negotiating with landlords for vacant rentals and raising money to prevent evictions.
“The free food pantries give us a way to provide for low income families who normally might come to us and be eating their meals at churches or synagogues hosting them,” Giodarno said.
Jackie says the other charitable organizations that adopted free pantries are the Shrine Church of Our Lady of the Americas on Central Avenue, South End Children’s Café on Warren Street which stocks two, Grassroots Givers on Washington Ave., the Culture Center on Quail Street in Albany and Capital Roots which stocks three, each near one of its gardens. The public is always welcome to donate to the pantries, too.
Ben is now stationed in North Carolina. But his parents keep volunteering and are key members of Open World's team.
“We want to build and install more to meet the need that still exists,” Jackie said.
Meanwhile, Ben founded the nonprofit 501c3 Open World Relief devoted to disaster response. Last year, Ben led Open World to Puerto Rico after the island was struck by a 6.4 magnitude earthquake. Naturally, parents Jay and Jackie were among his volunteers.