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As the saying goes, it’s better to give than to receive.
At the Saratoga County EOC, they take that saying to heart. The EOC, which operates the Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry, stay busy all year round, but when it comes to the holidays they begin stocking up and kick into full gear. On Thanksgiving Day, the Soup Kitchen will serve approximately 300 meals, providing low income individuals and families everything that you would expect at a lavish Thanksgiving Day feast. The food pantry will give out over 700 food baskets, each consisting of: 5 lbs. of potatoes, 2 lbs. of carrots, 5 lbs. of apples, canned vegetables, stuffing and a $10 gift card to Price Chopper for meat. To handle the holiday rush, the soup kitchen enlists the help of local businessman Steve “Sully” Sullivan. Sully and his partners Yvonne Sinnamon, Louis Maggiore and Dave Powers close the Olde Bryan Inn on Thanksgiving Day and bring the staff over to the soup kitchen where they donate food and time to help cook, prepare and serve area families. Although Thanksgiving and Christmas are busy times of the year, the organization doesn’t slow down after the holidays. Year round, the soup kitchen serves approximately 25,000 meals, and the food pantry serves 7,000 individuals. These sound like big numbers to fill, but we have big hearts in our community. Major sponsors of the soup kitchen and food pantry are: Price Chopper, Hannaford, Stewarts, BJ’s and the Farmers Market. The Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry operate on funding from the regional food bank as well as small grants. They are always looking for volunteers to help with a variety of activities and welcome all food donations. If you are interested in helping, or have any questions, contact Lillian McCarthy, Community Services Program Director, at 518-587-3158. Locally our needs are increasing and we are serving more families on a daily basis. Higher costs for gas, heating & food affect everyone, but especially low income families. 2006 – 17 Families per day 2007 – 23 Families per day What you can do to help: • Organize a food drive • Begin a food collection • Solicit business donations • Drop off needed food items Donation list for the food pantry: • Canned goods • soups • vegetables • tuna fish • meats • pasta • pasta sauce • Peanut butter • Jelly • Juices Food drops can be made to EOC headquarters, weekdays 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., at 40 New Street, Saratoga Springs. |
