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The Plattsburgh Interfaith Food Shelf: Giving Something Back
Whether you are or know somebody in need, or just appreciate some old-fashioned
human compassion and goodwill, the story of the Plattsburgh Interfaith
Food Shelf should be just what you're looking for
Story and photos by Carl DeNovio As Ruth Dominy waited patiently at the door for the Plattsburgh State University College Gospel Choir talent presentation on September 30, to the average passerby she could easily be mistaken for simply the grandmother of one of the night's performers. Her quiet, humble demeanor is the kind that anybody could pass for simple and unassuming. They would be wrong. She is the acting treasurer of the Plattsburgh Interfaith Food Shelf, a position she has held for about the past 15 years. She has been an active volunteer for the last 22 years, with no plans to slow down or retire. The Food Shelf started as a charity organized by the Plattsburgh United Methodist Church. After a short time, it began to outgrow its humble beginnings and was taken to what is now called the Interfaith Council of Plattsburgh and Clinton County. With more than ten area churches participating in the charity, it has grown beyond what could have been imagined. But what is the Plattsburgh Interfaith Food Shelf? Simply put, it is one of the largest, most successful charities in the area, aimed at providing people and families in need with the food they require to get through particularly tough times. Over $5,000 of food is given out each month, no questions asked. "I really feel that everybody, if they're able, should give something back" "We give people enough food to last them, we hope, for up to three days," Dominy said. These people can come to the Food Shelf for help up to six times per year. That's over two weeks of food given out to each person for free each year, any time of year.
Over 120 tons of food is donated annually to the households who ask for it, which number over 2,000. Merely 100 regular volunteers from both within and outside the ICPCC gather all of this donations from all over the Northeast. Dominy's participation in the Food Shelf began when her friend Margaret Hudkins, then director of the Shelf, asked her to help out. "I just fell into it," she said. "I think because I worked and kept house, [and] had a family, I didn't have time to help out as much as I wanted. When I retired, I really looked forward to giving back to society in general. I really feel that everybody, if they're able, should give something back." Although she says that her desire to help those who she couldn't while she was working drove her to join the Food Shelf, her career was just as dedicated to helping as she has been in her retirement. Dominy grew up in the town of Fort Edward, downstate of Clinton County near the Glens Falls area where she lived on her family's farm. She came to Plattsburgh in 1944 to attend Plattsburgh State Teachers College, now PSUC, where she earned her bachelor's and master's degrees. She married her husband, Gerald, in 1948, and has lived in Plattsburgh ever since, where she made her career as an elementary school teacher. "But enough about me," she said, wanting to focus as much as possible on the Food Shelf. It is this sort of humbleness and modesty that dominated the interview as I sat in her living room. Her home is comfortable and accommodating, as she makes absolutely sure I find a spot where I am at ease. To look around, one might be reminded of spending the afternoon with their grandmother. The couch to my right has a pillow on it asking for God's blessing. The television to my left is old and simple, and the furniture, while still in good condition, looks well lived-in. At 81 years old, she admits that she may not have the energy she once had and gets tired more easily than in her younger days, but her mind is still sharp and counts herself blessed to have maintained her health. Even after more than 20 years of retirement she still carries that teacher's air about her, leaving no details untouched and wanting to make sure that any and all pertinent information gets passed along, no matter how small. As she begins to talk about the Food Shelf and the work it does for those in need, there is an obvious pride in her demeanor–but not for herself. Rather, it is for those who give up something, whether it be time from their day or those who donate something, the satisfaction she gets is not from her own participation but in seeing the organization help those who need it. Open from 9 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday, the Shelf closes only for weather. Though it is closed for holidays, it remains open throughout the vacation times leading up to those holidays, including the Thanksgiving and Christmas weeks. While it is impossible to provide every family with a full Thanksgiving dinner, the volunteers and donors of the Shelf do their best to make sure they hand out as much cranberry sauce and potatoes as they can, along with the occasional donated turkey.
Donations are collected through a variety of means for the Food Shelf; including post office sponsored can drives and college fraternity fundraisers. They receive only indirect government support through the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, where the majority of their food is purchased at a generous discount, as well as through an annual grant. While any kind of donation is accepted, Dominy says that food is needed more than money; however, if one wanted to donate money, it may go further than by donating food directly. "Let's say somebody can buy three cans of peas for one dollar," Ruth said. "We can take that dollar and go to the Regional Food Bank and get, say, six cans of peas with our discount." Local stores are also used for food purchases, particularly if something is needed right away. "One time we ran out of cereal," she recalled. They had to send a volunteer to the local grocery store to pick up cereal, as that is one of the staples of things they offer their families. These local stores also occasionally donate things such as day-old baked goods to the Shelf as well. "You get what they have when they have it," said Ruth, who, in another example of her humanitarianism, refused to state which stores donate to them and how often, at the risk of insulting anybody. It doesn't matter to her when or how much of anything is donated; the slightest contribution is enough, and to single one organization out over another would be unfair. About 15 to 20 household requests for food are handled every day at the Food Shelf. These households could be as few as a single person or as many as 10 or more. According to Dorothy Crawford, the coordinator of the Shelf, this past year 2,000 households were served, with a total number of 5,721 requests–an average of 476 per month. Although these families can have up to six requests per year for food, "most households only requested assistance once or twice during the year in emergency situations which arise due to unforeseen expenses such as medical and dental bills, high energy costs for winter, and temporary lay-offs and part-time work," Crawford said. Most of the food made available to these families is in canned or packaged form, some fresh dairy and meat products are also provided. At least one of three daily meals handed out should have a meat or poultry source of protein. "We cover all of Clinton County, not just Plattsburgh" "We don't ask questions about their need or their income," Dominy proudly said. "We take them on faith that they wouldn't come if they didn't need it." The Food Shelf is a faith-based organization, so it only makes sense to have a faith-based distribution system. People will be helped out up to six times per year, and only six, except in "extreme cases," Dominy said. "Most of the people who come simply don't have enough to make ends meet. They are hard-pressed all of a sudden…they can't push their money any further, and they need help." Food handed out at the Shelf is stored at the Plattsburgh Air Base and transported to the Methodist church. Ruth takes the time to acknowledge it isn't only the volunteers handing out the food who contribute, a lot of the work is in actually getting food handed out, and the people driving the trucks, stocking the shelves, and collecting donations are just as important to the organization as those handing the food out. There is a lot of leg work to be done in order to serve as many people as they do. "We cover all of Clinton County, not just Plattsburgh." Most of the approximately 100 volunteers spend about three and a half hours a day at the Food Shelf, once or twice a month. On any given day there will be three or four volunteers working, though on busier days there might be more. It takes 10 to 15 minutes to serve each person. Those people who come to the Shelf for help vary in age, Dominy said, from 18 (under 18 won't be served without a parent, except in severe cases) to the very old. There is no average age for those in need, and everybody needs to eat. So, what's in store for the Food Shelf in years to come? "Our long-range goal remains to establish a location where we would be able to store and distribute food and be convenient for the volunteers and the people we serve. We have established a building fund to either build a new facility or remodel a donated one. Currently, the Long-range Planning council, chaired by Bonnie Black, is investigating the options," Crawford said. |
Total money donated: $56,321.93 Total food donated: 60,065 lbs (30.03 tons) Total food distributed: 247,958 lbs (123.98 tons) Total people served:
Total number of zip codes with people benefiting: 40 Total number of churches with active volunteers:>16 Total amount spent to buy food: $65,084.86 Helping somebody in need: Priceless
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