We are an all-volunteer coalition of community organizations, houses of worship, and concerned citizens dedicated to assisting local families who need food. We run a Food Pantry twice a month that distributes a nutritional bag of groceries providing four days of meals.
Fall 2014

 I "Food Insecurity"

I recently attended a conference for organizations like ours: food pantries, soup kitchens, and other groups who provide food and related services to struggling families. The keynote address was delivered by Jim Weill, the president of the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC). He cited a federal government report on the number of people in our country who lived in "food insecure" households in 2013. Food insecurity is the government's euphemism for families or individuals struggling with hunger or unable to get a healthy, adequate diet because of a lack of resources. Forty-nine million people lived in such households in 2013. Forty-nine million is one in six Americans. And it's worse for children. Among them, one in five lived in a food insecure household. Thanks to your generosity and our dedicated volunteers, the Food Pantry offers some relief to over 350 "food insecure" families in our community.

Malcolm Frouman
President, LMHTF
malcolm.frouman@LMFoodPantry.org
I Food on the Go
Food Truck Volunteers: Sheila Lahey, Melinda Lehman, Peter Pozo from Food Bank of Westchester, Daisy Leno and mom, Kristian, Sabrina Fiddelman, Agathe  Berder Tomotsugu

With occasional gaps in our biweekly distributions due to holidays and school vacations, the Food Pantry has put something new on the menu: visits from the Mobile Food Pantry, a recent program provided by the Food Bank of Westchester. The 36 foot-long refrigerated truck, funded by a grant from Kraft Foods, rolled into Mamaroneck twice in recent months, and 130+ local households were able
to visit this market on wheels for fresh, nutritious food. During the latest distribution in early October, 150 pounds of bread, 400 pounds of frozen soup and 1,000 pounds of apples were distributed, among many other grocery items. The response has been so enthusiastic that visits are being scheduled again for the winter months.
I Teamwork   
Hommocks students tend their crop
 

As the Food Pantry has grown over the years so, too, has the number of  partnerships we have with civic and community groups in Larchmont and Mamaroneck. We are grateful for the diversity of programs which allow us to provide additional opportunities for our clients. One home-grown effort (or perhaps more appropriately, school-grown!) is The HMX Garden and Greenhouse, launched in spring of 2013. Students from the Family and Consumer Science classroom manage all stages of this effort, from planning and planting to harvesting and cooking. With help from an after-school environmental club, Club HOPE, and summer support from the Co-Op Camp at the school, the garden grows and yields a bounty of kale, many types of salad greens, herbs, Swiss chard and broccoli. HMX students and their teacher, Betty Comerford, donated mountains of extra produce to the Food Pantry on three occasions this past summer, providing client families with delicious and different vegetable options.

Members of the Rotary Club and an interested reader

And, as the new school year kicked off,The Rotary Club of Larchmont secured and distributed over 900 books for children and families served by the Pantry. Helped in part by a grant from Rotary International, the local chapter employed the assistance of two teachers and a librarian to select children's books of all genres, appropriate for all ages. Club volunteers set up a mini book fair and distributed books on both the Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning shifts. The hardcovers and paperbacks were a huge hit with kids and their parents!

I Volunteer Spotlight
 Kristian with a client's son 

Food Pantry folks will tell you that you'll meet some of the most interesting people around when you volunteer at the Pantry. Kristian Leno is a perfect example of that. A Mamaroneck resident for the past 14
years, working mom Kris volunteers on Tuesday evenings, often accompanied by one of her seven kids (yup, even with seven kids ranging in age from 10 to 24, Kris is a faithful volunteer). We asked her to share her experiences:

How long have been at
the food pantry?
I have been a volunteer for about three years.

How did you first hear
about the pantry?
Every day I would drive my little ones to Mamaroneck Avenue School, and on the way home I would go the back roads, down Center Ave. On some mornings, I noticed crowds of people with carts waiting on a line in front of this particular building. One day I pulled over and went in to inquire...the rest is history! I was hooked.

What do you do at the Food Pantry?
There are various stations within the Pantry where food is distributed. My volunteer partner Shelia and I are in charge of handing out certain "specialty" items that vary from distribution to distribution, based on what the Pantry has purchased for clients. These items are in addition to the packaged goods and fresh fruits and vegetables they receive. The bag we distribute usually includes cheese, beans, a frozen meat (poultry, ground beef, and frozen fish) and several yogurts. At holiday time we are fortunate enough to be able to hand out a whole chicken, ham or turkey.

What do you find the most surprising or
unexpected thing about the FP?
It's hard work! It's always rewarding, but we make a lot happen in the two hours we're there on Tuesday nights.

What's the biggest misconception about the Pantry?
In my opinion, the biggest misconception is how others may perceive the clients (individuals or families) who receive the food. Many people immediately assume that the clients are homeless or without jobs when, in fact, most of our clients are hard-working people in our community who are struggling to make ends meet, many of whom have more than one job. They're our fellow community members, people we see on the streets in town, employees of our local businesses, and parents of the children our kids go to school with.
 
You have been given three wishes relating to the Food Pantry.
What are they?
1st wish... That there didn't have to be a food pantry and that less fortunate families/individuals in our towns didn't have to go from paycheck to paycheck, worrying when/what their next meal might be.

2nd wish... We had a bigger space to accommodate the growing number of people who show up week to week. During the frigid winter months, all the waiting families and children would be able to come inside instead of standing in the bitter cold.

3rd and last wish... That even more members of our community could help us to provide more fresh and healthy ingredients to be distributed among the canned and packaged goods.

How would you describe the volunteers you work with and the clients you assist?
Our volunteers are loyal, humble, altruistic and good-hearted. Our clients are appreciative, optimistic and cheerful.
Holiday Helpers Needed 

Come November 22 and 23, it's time for our Annual Food Drive at area supermarkets. We need volunteers (in 90-minute shifts) to help collect food from shoppers. The items will go a long way to filling our bags and making holidays happy and satisfying for clients. This is a great volunteer opportunity for individuals, families, groups and troops. It's a wonderful way to give back and teach the true meaning of the holidays. If you are interested in assisting as we help our neighbors in need, please contact the Pantry's volunteer hotline at 914-698-3558
Other Ways to Help

To donate, visit us on the web at 
www.LMFoodPantry.org 
 
To sponsor a food drive, contact Sondra Levy at 
FoodDrive@LMFoodPantry.org.

Specific items are always needed. This fall and winter, our most urgent need is cereal and shelf-stable milk. Visit our website
for more information on how to donate these items.