Allow food pantry workers to receive vaccines now

Too many seniors and families struggle with food insecurity in our region. At Jewish Family Services of Northeastern New York, we offer homedelivered meals (five days a week) and pack-and-deliver packages of kosher food with the Shalom Food Pantry.

More than 110 large, essential food packages (produce, dairy eggs, bread and dry goods) are assembled and delivered biweekly to people throughout Albany, Rensselaer, Schenectady and Saratoga counties. Our agency also operates a small transportation service that provides seniors with daily rides to medical appointments, including vaccinations.

Since March 2020, we have delivered approximately 9,000 meals to our neighbors in need with the help of dedicated volunteers and staff who are essential to the success of our work.

Our team never stopped offering services during the pandemic — in fact, we ramped up — and we were only able to accomplish more because of the resilience of our staff and volunteers.

Keeping emergency food providers and food pantries open and operating is crucial to ensuring that families are not going without food.

The realization of our work depends on our essential staff and volunteers who make possible the effectiveness of our programming. At this time, food assistance providers in New York state are not eligible for COVID-19 vaccination, and our staff and volunteers remain at risk. It is our belief they should qualify under the 1B category of essential food workers who are eligible to receive the vaccine.

We encourage Gov. Andrew Cuomo to reconsider and keep safe emergency food providers and the people they serve safe by reinstating their essential worker status that would allow them to get vaccinated as soon as possible and continue their important and selfless work to serve our community’s most vulnerable members.

Jane Ginsburg

Albany President & CEO, Jewish

Family Services of Northeastern New York