Senator Harckham Holds Food Drive in Pleasantville

Pleasantville, NY – New York State Senator Pete Harckham and dozens of volunteers collected more than 2,000 pounds of food, enough to feed 55 families for a month, during a food drive held on Saturday, Sept. 12 in the parking lot at the United Methodist Church here. The food was donated to the Interfaith Food Pantry of Pleasantville.

“Six months into the Covid-19 pandemic it is apparent that food insecurity in our communities is not going away,” said Harckham. “This food drive, like others we have held, helps make sure that no one goes hungry, thanks to the generosity of so many residents. But the problem persists and more needs to be done.”

This was the seventh food drive Harckham has held since the coronavirus pandemic hit the region in March—one each in Sleepy Hollow, Peekskill, Mount Kisco, Mohegan Lake, Brewster and Bedford previously—with the events collecting about 30,000 pounds of food items and over $9,500 in cash donations so far. As with the other food drives, a number of residents from the 40th Senate District volunteered to help—a real grassroots show of support,” said Harckham.

“This is amazing,” said Kala Mishra, a volunteer at the Pleasantville Food Pantry, during the food drive as cars lined up at the drop-off event with donations. “The food that’s being collected will go to help the many families in our community that are food insecure. We’re seeing a much greater need for food because of the pandemic. This drive will support our efforts in a big way.”