Mount Kisco, NY – New York State Senator Pete Harckham, along with local partners The Pantry (formerly the Mount Kisco Interfaith Food Pantry) and the Bedford Teachers Association, held a food drive today here at St. Mark’s Church and collected 3,000 pounds of food items and cash donations to help hundreds of families in need. This was the nineteenth food drive Harckham has hosted since 2020.

More than two dozen volunteers joined to help with today’s food drive, including seniors from Fox Lane High School, teachers from the Bedford schools, interns from Harckham’s Senate office and members of Laborers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA) Locals 60 and 235.

“Knowing how much food insecurity is impacting people everywhere, the Mount Kisco community truly stepped forward today to bring their generous donations to our event,” said Harckham. “I am truly grateful for this overwhelming response, which made this one of the most successful food drives we have held so far. A big thank you to The Pantry and Bedford Teachers Association for partnering with us, and to the volunteers, including the union workers, who helped. Without them, our event would not have been possible.”

Hackham added, “Food pantries serve as vital community lifelines when public-assistance programs fall short, are delayed or non-existent,” said Harckham. “They have become the front line of defense for thousands of working people who can’t make ends meet.” 

This was a “Drive-Thru, Drop-Off” event. Volunteers collected the items from vehicles in the church parking lot. Donations included rice, pasta, juice, canned goods, cereal, sauce, and more.

To see a photo gallery from the food pantry, click here.

In the 18 prior food drives since March 2020—one each in Sleepy Hollow, Ossining, Mohegan Lake, Bedford, Brewster, Pleasantville, Croton-on-Hudson, Somers, Yorktown Heights and Katonah, and two in Peekskill, and three in Carmel and Mount Kisco—Harckham and volunteers have collected about 57,000 pounds of food and other items, plus almost $15,000 in cash donations.

Harckham visited three key food pantries recently in Brewster, Ossining and Peekskill that are facing unprecedented demands amid rising costs, shrinking federal assistance and widespread hardship for working families, seniors and single parents. 

The Pantry in Mount Kisco is open to anyone in need living in Armonk, Bedford, Bedford Hills, Chappaqua, Cross River, Croton Falls, Goldens Bridge, Hawthorne, Katonah, Millwood, Mount Kisco, North Salem, Pleasantville, Pound Ridge, Purdys, Sleepy Hollow, South Salem, Thornwood, Valhalla, Waccabuc, and Yorktown Heights. Located on East Main Street, it is open at certain times on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and is a “choice pantry,” which means guests can make a selection of the fresh produce, dairy, grains, and other foods that are available.

Trina Ward Fontaine, Executive Director of The Pantry, said, “It means so much that Senator Harckham has continued to draw attention to the issue of food insecurity in our community. This annual food drive will help us to feed the over 500 families that come to us each week."

Carol DeGeorge, President of the Bedford Teachers Association, said, The Bedford Teachers Association is pleased to partner with Senator Harckham and his staff on this important initiative to help feed those in our community who are in desperate need of support at this time and throughout the year.”

Anthony Ascencao, Business Manager for LiUNA Local 60, said, “We are always looking for ways to help and give back to the community. We know that strong unions build strong communities. There are too many families facing food insecurity right now, so being able to assist with the food drive was something our members were eager to do.”

Mount Kisco Mayor J. Michael Cindrich said, “Obviously, it is commendable that our residents realize the challenges that their neighbors are facing with food insecurity and have responded with such generosity. Senator Harckham’s efforts, like this food drive, benefit our community greatly, and I thank him for being here today.”