Peekskill, NY - New York State Senator Pete Harckham announced today that his 21st food drive collected more than 750 pounds of donations of food, household items, and toiletries for Fred’s Pantry, which is run at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church by Caring for the Hungry and Homeless of Peekskill (CHHOP). 

Harckham was joined by a dozen volunteers from the food pantry plus members of his own team, which included several interns in his Peekskill district office. Some notable individuals stopped by to donate food or volunteer their time at the food drive as well, including Peekskill Schools Superintendent David Mauricio, Congressional candidate Beth Davidson and Buchanan Trustee Awilda Baez. Tito Davila, a recently retired Harckham staff member who organized the previous 20 food drives, also stopped by with two bags of food.

“It may not be a leading headline these days, but too many of our fellow neighbors are dealing with hunger and food insecurity,” said Harckham. “Our local food pantries, including Fred’s Pantry here in Peekskill, offer tremendous help to community members, but they need as much support as possible. The amazing volunteers who participated in this food drive deserve a big thank you for their hard work, as does everyone who donated to help our neighbors in need. It’s inspiring to see this community come together in service of those who could use some help.” 

The drive was held from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 30 at Peekskill High School. 

Cynthia Knox, executive director of CHHOP, said, “In these inflationary times, people are struggling more than ever, which is why it is so important for all of us to support our neighbors. Senator Harckham understands this and continues to stand with us and engage our community because he knows how hard it is right now for many of his constituents.”

Rowen Reyes, coordinator of Fred’s Pantry and Community Partnerships for CHHOP, said, “Getting food to people who need it is a lifesaving action, especially now. When we as neighbors work and gather to take care of each other, we all become stronger as a community. Mutual aid is the direction we need to be moving in, so as a community we can thrive.” 

Harckham began hosting food drives in 2020, shortly after the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, to address rapidly growing food insecurity in his district. They are organized as “Drive-Through, Drop Off” events, in which volunteers collect non-perishable food and other items for local pantries. 

Since then, Harckham’s food drives have evolved from pandemic-era emergency responses to ongoing community support initiatives, involving local volunteers, community organizations, and food pantries. 

To date, the senator’s food drives have collected almost 60,000 pounds of food and more than $15,000 in donations.  

The drives have spanned the region, including Bedford, Brewster, Carmel, Croton-on-Hudson, Katonah, Mohegan Lake, Mount Kisco, Ossining, Peekskill, Pleasantville, Sleepy Hollow, Somers and Yorktown Heights.