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Highland - May 5

Paula Campbell - Columnist
Posted 5/4/20

Along with many other problems that have accelerated during the pandemic, food and hunger have skyrocketed as unemployment continues to climb, food shortages in markets increase, and everyone's money …

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Highland - May 5

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Along with many other problems that have accelerated during the pandemic, food and hunger have skyrocketed as unemployment continues to climb, food shortages in markets increase, and everyone's money gets tight.

I spoke with Martin Colavito of SALT (Sullivan Agencies Leading Together) about his work distributing food throughout the County. Martin told me that SALT also picks up a food pallet at the airport and has gotten several donations and buys food supplies from vendors. The County's Emergency Center is doing a good job and the Food Hub in Liberty is donating about $1,900 worth of food and produce a week he told me.

Martin and Thomas Bosket have been using a large van borrowed from the Cornell Extension and have been making between 50-60 deliveries a day to individuals, food banks, pantries and especially to the hard to serve communities and delivering about $100,000 worth of food a week. “Its very frustrating he said and I cannot believe the SALT is the only volunteer organization directly delivering food. “People sanitize the issue by identifying it as food insecurity but when I go and deliver a weeks' worth of food to a poor family they just look very scared-and that is the truth-they have no work and no money and have kids to feed and they don't know what to do he said. And if we don't all work together on this to get all the food out there quickly to people, we are not working collaboratively to reach out to those forgotten communities.”

I spoke with Laurie Terry the Clerk in Lumberland. She told me that Lumberland doesn't have a food pantry or food bank in place and anyone in need was usually referred to St. Anthony's in Yulan.

The Town of Lumberland recently received a $5,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan County and established an emergency pantry for dry goods food distribution. Ms. Terry said food is distributed from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Town Hall located at 1054 Proctor Road in Glen Spey. Ms. Terry said to get a distribution call her at the Town Hall 557-8600 extension #7.

In Narrowsburg, they have had a food pantry for many years called the Narrowsburg Ecumenical Food Pantry which is operating out of St. Francis Catholic Church 151 Bridge Street. It is open Thursdays from 4:30-5:30 p.m. People interested in getting groceries can just show up at Bridge Street on Thursdays. For more information or to make a donation for groceries card to be distributed by the pantry call Jennifer Maurizzio at 252-6761.

St. Anthony's Catholic Church In Yulan has had a food pantry for almost nine years and it has been coordinated by Margie Granese. The pantry is open every Thursday from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. in the Parish Hall across from the Church. Margie told me that they are now feeding 30 people on a weekly basis. Highland also got a $5,000 grant from The Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan County which is funding the pantry at St. Anthony's and the small 24-hour pantry box installed by the Eldred Congregational Church on their lawn next to the Post Office.

I spoke with Supervisor Jeff Haas who told me that every Friday a pallet of food is picked up at the airport which is supplied by the Hudson County Food Bank and this is distributed by the Town. He said St Anthony's pantry and the Congregational Church's pantry box have been restocked using the grant money and that if anyone is in need of assistance, they should call Doreen Hanson the Highland Town Clerk at 557-6085.

Lock Down Tip:

A friend in North Carolina asked me to help identify a few free sources for audio books apps so I thought I would pass on that information. Each of these audible book resources specialize in various sectors of audio books and podcasts.

Probably the best known Audible owned by Amazon has a program called “Audible free covid” which has free downloads and programs for kids and teens. The apps have classic and best sellers narrated by famous actors. The Librivox app has over 24,000 eBooks and specializes in classics and out of print books. It also has old radio shows, short stories, essays and sacred texts.

Sanity Audiobooks has a catalogue of over 12,000 books with many classics. It sponsors PodcastGo with programs of interest for teens. Overdrive@ Libby allows you to access more materials and thousands of eBooks through your local library and watch movies, documentaries and children's favorites. BookBoom offers free textbooks and business books for download. There is a lot of apps out there and you can find more free eBooks sites by going to BookRiot.com.

I was saddened to learn about the passing of Marilyn McKean. Everyone always said that she was the nicest woman in town which was the truth and it was always a pleasure to see her.

She will be greatly missed by her friends and our community. My sincere condolences to her husband Gibby, daughter Linda and son Michael and wife Lori, daughter-in-law Karen and her seven grandchildren and her three great granddaughters. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Hers was a life well lived.

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