POUGHKEEPSIE – According to Dutchess Outreach Executive Director Renee Fillette, food insecurity is spiraling out of control. “In New York State, food insecurity has increased by 85 percent since 2022, compared with an increase of 35 percent nationwide,” she said while expressing thanks to the founders of the Foodstock Fund and their annual concert/food drive that provides tremendous support to Dutchess Outreach.
Food insecurity is an official term from the USDA. It is a classification for people who don’t have enough to eat and don’t know where their next meal will come from,” according to Fillette. In the United States, more than 44 million people, including 13 million children, experience food insecurity annually. Many more people, including millions who do not meet the definition of food insecure—turn to the charitable food sector for support.
The food pantry at Dutchess Outreach has experienced a tremendous increase in the number of people seeking food. In 2021 the pantry was averaging visits from 200 households per month. In December 2023, the pantry was overwhelmed by visits from 1,800 households in need of food.
Ryan Michael, a former marching band leader, and his friend, Lorenzo Angelino, a Poughkeepsie attorney, put together a multi-artist concert fundraiser following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Realizing there was a need to address food insecurity locally, the concerts continued except for the pandemic era. “It has grown exponentially since 2005,” Lorenzo said of the show that features several local and national musicians who are providing their talents to help the cause. “With the closing of The Chance Theater, we had to seek another venue,” Ryan Michael said. “Fortunately, Mahoney’s Steakhouse stepped up and we are featuring nine bands on two stages on Sunday.” He noted that donations of cash and non-perishable food donations will be collected by Dutchess Outreach staffers at the show on Sunday.
Tickets to the show are $20 each and are available at the door. Attendees will have a chance to participate in the numerous raffles once the doors open at 1:00 pm, with the music starting at 2:00 pm. “There’s something for everyone at Foodstock,” said former Dutchess Outreach board member Todd Bender. “Ryan and Lorenzo bring together an incredible number of talented musicians from different genres to help address the food insecurity here in Dutchess County.”
According to Bender, one in four families in Poughkeepsie are experiencing food insecurity. “That’s over 26 percent of the city’s population and countywide, nearly nine percent are struggling with the same problem.”
