End of Season Surplus Rescued and Redirected in Two Day FeedHV Effort
When an unprecedented donation presented itself to FeedHV with just a couple of days’ notice, FeedHV volunteers and receiving agencies mobilized to rescue approximately 4,149 pounds of food from a new generous donor, Berkshire Hills Eisenberg Camp.
Located in Copake, Berkshire Hills was winding down for the season, and had surplus foods in cold storage from its traditional and culinary camps, as well as its vacation and group rentals. The multi-facetted property is primarily a co-ed Jewish sleep-away camp for children and teens 7-16. Situated on 640 secluded acres on the shores of Miller Pond, the camp was established in 1931, and in-season, houses 250 campers. Its vacation and group rentals offer cabin, and motel and dormitory style accommodations for up to 500 guests, and it also serves as an event venue.
The Berkshire Hills donation, which is the equivalent of 3,485 meals, was distributed to the Hudson City Department of Youth, Catskill Food Pantry, Willow Roots, North East Community Center, Catskill Community Fridge, Columbia County Recovery Kitchen and The Salvation Army of Hudson. The majority of the donation consisted of protein and dairy foods, with baked goods and vegetables rounding out the pallets and crates.
“The camp was a joy to work with from start to finish. They had found FeedHV through Google and told us that they are looking forward to coordinating with us next summer to help rescue even more food,” said Christopher Braccia, FeedHV Program Associate.
While most FeedHV donations can be handled by volunteers, this was larger than most, so both FeedHV volunteers and receiving agencies made pickups and pitched in on September 22 and 23. The Salvation Army of Hudson assisted in categorizing and weighing the donation.
Hudson City Department of Youth was on hand to help with loading and provided a dolly and hand truck. The Catskill Food Pantry arrived with two SUV’s and loaded up their portion of the donation themselves. Willow Roots sent a truck to pick up over 100 cases for their distributions from their Pine Plains location. North East Community Center brought their truck and filled up to transport to their Food and Supply Pantry in Millerton.
“Our partners were incredibly appreciative of the donation and the quality of the food,” reported Braccia. “Every agency involved actually ended up with much more food than originally planned – even double or triple the amount they had anticipated, thanks to Berkshire’s generosity.”
Thank you Berkshire Hills for your donation! The amazing list included:
Spring Mix Vegetables
Baby Spinach
Parsley Cilantro
Cucumber
Eggplants
Coleslaw
Celery
Hummus
Tofu
Butternut
Beets
Feta Cheese
Yogurt
Watermelons
Organic Palm Oil
Mozzarella
Lettuce
Cheddar Brick
Cheddar Shredded
American Cheese
Soy Milk
Oat Milk
Almost Milk
Eggs
Apple Juice Concentrate
Tofu Bricks
Sour Cream
Whipped Cream
Whole Milk
Low Fat Milk
Butter
Cream Cheese
Potato Blintzes
Salmon
Beef Brisket Pickled
Beef Shoulder Pastrami
Turkey Breast
Wings
Breast Cutlets
Roast Beef
Ground Beef
Corned Beef
Meatballs
Tater Tots
Chicken Cut
Chicken Tenders
Chicken Patties
Vegan Chicken
Chicken Nuggets
Muffin Butter
Falafel
Beef Patties
Shoulder Roast
Pita Bread
Cookies
Vegan Sausage Patties
English Muffins
Potato Pancake mix
Cinnamon rolls
Chocolate Croissant
Churros
White Bread Loaf
Multigrain Loaf
Hot Dog Buns
Hamburger Buns
Chicken Breast Slabs
Lo Mein Noodle
Texas Toast
Hot Dogs
Pizza Crust
Udon Noodle
Chocolate Chips
New Work Cake
English Muffin Bulk
Sun butter
Tostitos
Panko