NEW WINDSOR – Catholic Charities and ShopRite announced the beginning of this year’s “Feeding Our Neighbors” campaign. “Feeding Our Neighbors” is an annual food drive to support local food pantries and banks in the After-Holiday season when many of them have been depleted.
Representatives from Catholic Charities, ShopRite and Orange County government outlined the prospects for this year’s campaign on Tuesday.
L-R: Irene Kurlander, Deputy Commissioner, Orange County DSS; Msgr. Kevin Sullivan, Executive Director, Catholic Charities of the
Archdiocese of New York; Tom Urtz, Vice President of Operations, ShopRite; Father George Hafemann, pastor at St. John’s Church, Goshen,
and Catholic Charities board member; and Orange County Executive Steven Neuhaus.
Last year, “Feeding Our Neighbors” raised approximately 400,000 meals, 17,000 pounds of food stuffs and $93,000 in donations. This year, the goal is to surpass that, aiming to raise over 500,000 meals, in addition to cash donations said ShopRite VP of Operations Tom Urtz.
“Hunger fighting is a year round initiative and especially after the holiday period, food pantries tend to run, a little bit, on the low side; so, it’s our way of raising both funds and availability, money, food and also raising awareness of the need, so that people can contribute and help those in need at a time when the food pantries need it the most,” said Urtz.
Twenty-six ShopRite locations in the Hudson Valley will offer patrons the option, when they check out, to donate money, or food, to the campaign from January 10th to January 30th. The donations will be distributed among Catholic Charities’-sponsored food pantries and banks across the region.
Those involved in the campaign urge patrons to contribute what they can as it is a time when those who need food, need it most.
