PHILANTHROPY DAY
Fingerpaint employees create meals for food pantries
Nearly 90 employees at Fingerpaint had a different work assignment Friday afternoon.
The marketing agency on Broadway held its second annual Philanthropy Day. Last year, the company raised more than $11,000 to help kids in foster care.
This year, employees dressed up in aprons and hairnets, while wearing gloves to create 35,000 meals for 13 Saratoga County food pantries.
“Summer is a time of year that is often taxing on families who rely on free lunch from school,” said Natasha Pernicka, executive director of Food Pantries for The Capital District. “Our coalition of pantries sees an increase in families seeking assistance and Fingerpaint’s efforts will help meet this increased need.”
Before employees began their assembly line stationed with funnels, scales, heat sealers and boxes, Pernicka shared statistics about the food needy population throughout the region.
Pernicka said nearly 20,000 people, roughly 8.8 percent of Saratoga County, needs these meals, including 7,000 children.
The organization will pick up the meals next week, delivering directly to the 13 pantries in Saratoga County.
Fingerpaint had reached out to Pernicka in previous years about helping out.
“I realized the cost sometimes of food pantries to get food even from food banks can
be expensive. How can we find a way to do it in bulk?” said Bo Goliber, community relations at Fingerpaint. “I did a lot of research, found the Pack Shack and realized we could do this; not only turning it into a Philanthropy Day event, but actually stay local in our communities.”
In addition to Saratoga Springs, employees in Fingerpaint’s Conshohocken, Pa., and Scottsdale, Ariz. offices participated Friday.
Fingerpaint partnered with The Pack Shack, a Midwest-based humanitarian organization, to make Friday happen.
“We know that the risk for food insecure families goes up during school breaks, so we wanted to find a way to raise awareness and work together to feel like we can make an impact. We figured a Feed the Funnel party would be both fun and productive, and we can make sure it feeds families in our surrounding communities,” said Goliber.
Pernicka said the event happens at a great time with summer in full swing.
For volunteer opportunities, how to donate or if in need of food, visit http:// www.thefoodpantries.org/ or call (518) 458-1167.