New York State Senator Pete Harckham’s recent 20th food drive collected more than 1,500 pounds of donations of food, household items and toiletries for the St. Mary’s Episcopal Church Food Pantry in Mohegan Lake, New York. Harckham was joined by 21 volunteers from the food pantry, his own team and members of Locals 60 and 235 of the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA). Donors included town of Yorktown Supervisor Edward Lachterman, town of Cortlandt Deputy Supervisor James Creighton and members of the Mahopac Teachers Association, as well as dozens of generous residents.
“Together, we collected more than 1,500 pounds of food to support community members facing food insecurity,” Harckham said. “A huge thanks to our amazing volunteers for their hard work and everyone who donated to help our neighbors in need. It’s inspiring to see our community come together to help people who are hurting.”
“I am truly grateful to Senator Harckham, the volunteers and all of the generous donors — their support is incredibly needed and deeply appreciated,” said Cindy Smith, director of operations for the food pantry. “Before the Covid-19 pandemic, we were assisting about 85 to 95 families each week. But during and following the pandemic, the level of need skyrocketed and while things have eased somewhat, we now are helping consistently close to 200 families per week.”
Lachterman said, “It’s great that so many come out and help combat food insecurity in our area. Especially at such a wonderful pantry as St. Mary’s, which helps over 200 families per week. Remember, you do not have to wait for a food drive to drop off food for those in need.”
The supervisor donated 20 fresh whole turkeys to the drive courtesy of the Shop Rite supermarket in Cortlandt.
Creighton said “Thank you, Senator Harckham, for putting together this food pantry drop off. Now, more than ever, we must pitch in to help our neighbors who are struggling to put food on the table and make ends meet. Events like this remind us that when we come together, we can make a tangible difference in the lives of people experiencing food insecurity.”
Dwayne Farquharson, an organizer for LiUNA, said, “We’re here not just to volunteer, but to stand in solidarity with the community — to support our neighbors and help our brothers and sisters who are struggling to make ends meet. In times like these, our union’s strength comes from showing up, pitching in and backing each other. We’re always glad to help.”
Harckham began hosting food drives in 2020, shortly after the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, to address rapidly growing food insecurity in his district. They are organized as “Drive-Through, Drop Off” events, in which volunteers collect nonperishable food and other items for local pantries.
Since then, Harckham’s food drives have evolved from pandemic-era emergency responses to ongoing community support initiatives, involving local volunteers, community organizations, and food pantries.
To date, the senator’s food drives have collected almost 60,000 pounds of food and more than $15,000 in donations.
The drives have spanned the region, including Bedford, Brewster, Carmel, Croton-on-Hudson, Katonah, Mohegan Lake, Mount Kisco, Ossining, Peekskill, Pleasantville, Sleepy Hollow, Somers and Yorktown Heights.
Harckham represents the 40th Senate District, which includes the towns of Carmel, Kent, Patterson and Southeast, and the village of Brewster in Putnam County; the town of Stony Point in Rockland County; and the city of Peekskill, the towns of Bedford, Cortlandt, Lewisboro, New Castle, North Salem, Ossining, Somers and Yorktown, the town/village of Mount Kisco, and the villages of Briarcliff Manor, Buchanan, Croton-on-Hudson and Ossining in Westchester County.
