Impact Update
Can you believe it's already August?
We're over halfway through the year and have a LOT to share with you
We are incredibly grateful for so much at Second Chance Foods, especially this time of year when local farms are overflowing with delicious produce! For example, last week, we received more than 350 pounds – yes, pounds – of tomatoes from Glynwood Farm!
We’re also forever grateful for our incredible volunteers who come weekly and the new ones who join us through the year, including so many of you!
But, as we see the increased demand for food assistance, we’re currently very appreciative of our organizational growth. This growth is crucial to meeting the rising hunger in our community.
This year – because of your support – we’ve had the capacity to grow like never before. That expansion was possible partly due to the two new cold storage units, replacement food rescue SUV (thanks again to Rotary of Southeast), and even the growth in our staff, who helped make it all happen! Most importantly, all of our success so far this year is because of you! All your donations, volunteer hours, and advocacy for us continue to advance our mission of connecting healthy food to our neighbors in need of food assistance. Thank You!!
Impact by the Numbers
4,513
Hours Volunteered
42,983
Meals Created
160,633 Lbs
Groceries Donated
Distribution Increasing Along with Hunger
We started our distribution program in 2020 when many seniors, veterans, and families in need of food assistance could not travel to pick up food due to the risk of covid-19 and other obstacles. Unfortunately, while the pandemic highlighted many barriers to receiving food assistance, many of those obstacles continue. Transportation, for example, remains a significant reason why many people in our community do not receive the help they need.
New Program Highlights
In addition to the 12 hunger relief programs we serve weekly, this year, we’ve added some new recipients to connect with fresh food!
New Era Creative Space in Dunbar Heights – This after-school program serves youth living in low-income housing in Peekskill – Dunbar Heights. Before summer vacation, we provided 3 dinners a week to all their participants and teen volunteers – while always having leftovers for them to take home. Because Dunbar Heights is a food desert, the youth and their families struggle with getting fresh fruits and vegetables, and many residents have diet-related health issues. So we’re happy to play a small role in helping this community!
Brewster Cares Summer Camp – Starting in July, we’ve been supplying Friday’s lunch to the Brewster Cares Summer Camp, a camp for low-income children. Each week, we strive to provide healthy food that’s kid-friendly too. We mentioned last week that they loved the lightly-salted cucumbers, but we’ve also nourished them with lots of big fruit salads, chicken with rice and beans, rosemary steak tips with green beans, and of course our sneaky tomato sauce with pasta!
Pacific House Homeless Shelter in Danbury – For this new partnership, we’re providing 5 meals a month for 65 people. We’re excited to serve this homeless population because our meals add healthy variety to the recipients’ diet. So far we’ve made them salmon cakes, veggie & steak stir fry, skillet chicken with mushrooms, quiche with easy to eat vegetables and so much more! It’s always an honor to cook delicious meals that nourish those in need.
Staff and Board
Having so many volunteers is incredible – but after years of only one dedicated staff member we are so grateful to have added two, part time staff to our team. You’ve already met Dana, our Director of Development, and Ellen, our Operations Assistant. In addition to staff we have a dedicated leadership board to guide our policies and finances. Stay tuned later this month to meet our newest board member, Diane! New to Second Chance Foods? Meet all of our Staff and Board on our About Us Page.