PANTRIES PRESS AHEAD
Virus puts greater focus on need filled by People’s Place, Community Action, others
Many area food pantries routinely operate on limited hours, and some are taking additional precautions to protect staff, volunteers and visitors amid the spread of the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19.
But they’re not suspending the vital service they provide.
At The People’s Place in Midtown Kingston, Executive Director Christine Hein said the organization’s food pantry and community café remain open to the public, with some modifications. She said normally the pantry at 17 St. James St. allows users to pick out their own food, but now volunteers are packing bags for people and bringing them to the door of the facility. That means patrons are not currently coming inside, Hein said.
And at The People’s Café, around the corner at 779 Broadway, dine-in service has been suspended and replaced by takeout service only, Hein said.
“We know that we’re a safety net for folks here within the community, and we strive to
“We know that we’re a safety net for folks here within the community, and we strive to help continue to feed you and serve you in this time of crisis.”
help continue to feed you and serve you in this time of crisis,” Hein said.
The food pantry is open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays. The cafe is open from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday through Friday.
The People’s Place also has started a “Bag Student Hunger” program to help families with children whose schools are closed because of the virus, Hein said. She said the program is just like the one her organization runs during the summers and school holidays.
Through “Bag Student Hunger,” families with children
who are in pre-K to college can get bags of breakfast, lunch and snack foods once a week, Hein said. She said the program began Monday and served 47 families. She said she expects the need for the program to grow, which will put a financial strain on her organization.
Anyone who wants to make a donation or apply to become a volunteer can do so online at www.peoplesplaceuc.org.
Hein said financial donations are most important, and that through the regional food bank, she is able to buy more and make the money go further.
Most of the current volunteers at The People’s Place are seniors, and most are not coming in as a precautionary measure. This week,
though, many teachers and teachers aides have volunteered to help, she said.
“Which is great,” Hein said. “Otherwise we wouldn’t be able to do this.”
She said The People’s Place will not close because so many people from across Ulster County rely on its services. Hein said and county resident can use The People’s Place for food, regardless of income.
At Ulster County Community Action, patrons are being asked to call ahead before coming to the agency’s food pantries in Kingston, Highland and Ellenville, said Outreach Care Manager Manuela Coddington. She said if people call ahead, their bags of food can be ready when they arrive and be brought outside.
But people who do not
call ahead will not be turned away, Coddington said,
The Community Action food pantries are open from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. They are at 70 Lindsley Ave., Kingston, 15 Church St., Highland, and 85 Center St., Ellenville. They can be reached by calling (845) 338-8750.
Kristin Jensen, chief advancement officer for Catholic Charities Community Services of Orange, Sullivan and Ulster, said the agency’s food pantry at 6 Adams St. in Kingston will remain open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays. She said, though, that the pantry will temporarily change from one at which patrons chose their own food to one in which pre-selected bags of items are prepared for clients. If people need specific
items, they can be requested, Jensen said.
The People’s Place and Community Action also will work to meet specific requests.
“Obviously, this is all changing very quickly,” Jensen said of the effects COVID-19 is having on the community. “We’re just trying to move with the changes.”
She said providing bags of food limits the amount of time people spend in the pantry and limits interactions between people. And there are people who may not want to come into the facility but still need food, Jensen said.
For more information about Catholic Charities Community Services, call (845) 340-9170.
Mary Chisholm, who operates Chiz’s Heart Street
at 246 Washington Ave. in Kingston, said her agency’s food pantry will temporarily move outdoors. She said tables will be set up and workers will wear gloves to limit contact between people. That way, people can continue to keep a distance from one another but still utilize the pantry, Chisholm said.
“But I don’t want to stop it,” she said of the pantry, which is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
A list of area food pantries, with contact information, is available online from UlsterCorps at bit. ly/2x1q342.
For local coverage related to the coronavirus, go to bit. ly/DFCOVID19. For live updates, visit bit.ly/DFcovid19live.