I have decided to give the Hero for Hunger award to a place: Calvary Food Pantry at five corners. It is like a home where anyone can come and get food. This has been a broad statement of truth for 33 year that the pantry has been serving the individuals here in Auburn for whatever reason, especially when they are down on their luck. I have told you many times that a life can change in an instant with the sudden loss of a job, divorce or death of a loved one, for instance. I try to calm fears, all the time, as I am often doing these days when I become a family’s only safety net — for instance, when food stamps run out two and a half weeks into a month. I serve nutritious meals three times a day for five days a week to each individual who asks. (That accounts for 61,295 meals so far this year.) I try to assure my family members that I survive as a pantry no matter what political storms swirl around me. I receive gifts from men and women with their time, giving of themselves each day with my Retired Senior Volunteer Program volunteers, each week with singular monetary donations (900-plus individuals last year), Panera Bread, the produce rescue program and my partnership with the CNY Food Bank, and the yearly grants from the city of Auburn and many others, like a recent Cayuga Community Fund grant. Then there is the soup and sandwich, and harvest dinners that help sustain us. (Finally, there is my incessant, yearlong fundraising at places like Hoopla Frozen Yogurt last week.)
Without this area of peace and calm, I would have nothing to give my families. It is a cherished space. Remember that teenager who was afraid of starving a few months ago? Where would she have gone to get solace without these hallowed walls?
We even have Lorraine Miller, a professor at Cayuga Community College, bringing us into the 21st century with a program that fits our pantry’s needs. (She was our Heroine for Hunger in October.) With her program, we now are able to say that 52 percent of our food goes to our Auburn youth up to 18 years of age. Well, all I can say is I have just given myself a great big 33-year-old birthday hug to myself with that information. All my hard work pays off in astounding dividends. Who would have known all this without that computer program? Thank you, Lorraine!
New from the pantry: We selected four new board of trustees members in our annual meeting. Additionally, Janice Conaughty was awarded Volunteer of the Year for 2018. Congratulations to everyone.
Attention: The CNY Food Bank has confirmed there will be a summer feeding program at Genesee Elementary School and the Booker T. Washington Community Center. For more information, call (315) 437-1899 ext. 245.
Remember, please volunteer, donate or reciprocate in kind. Thank you all.
