Annual HCOC Membership Meeting: Tuesday, October 1, 4:30 pm at Cooperstown 

       The HCOC Board wish to congratulate and thank Ron.
 
Ron Rovetto, the long-time Coordinator for the Nutrition Outreach and Education Program (“the SNAP guy”) retired from Catholic Charities of Delaware, Otsego, and Schoharie Counties in 2022 after ten years with the program, five of them at Catholic Charities.  
 
Ron had been with the Otsego County NOEP program since it began with the Community Action Program in Madison County.  Five years ago, the Otsego County program came under new administration to Catholic Charities.  At that time, Ron applied for the job.  The Program Director and I interviewed Ron, and we knew he was the right person to help us reach the people who needed the program.  
 
Ron worked well with the clients, with other service organizations, and with the Department of Social Services.  Because of his diligence with assisting the clients with their applications and making sure he had all of the documents to complete an application, people have been successful in accessing SNAP benefits.  Because Ron was always spending time out in the community, people knew how to get into contact with him.
 
Ron’s dedication to the program and people he served led him to stay on to help train the new person and leave the program on solid ground.  In November, Catholic Charities hired Lisa Lent as the NOEP Coordinator for Otsego County.  Lisa is familiar with the county having worked and lived here most of her life.  After working with Ron and Hunger Solutions, Inc., Lisa has hit the ground running.  She started out of the gate helping people get their applications processed.  Lisa has also been working with the Department of Social Services and other service organizations.  Before long, Lisa will be a household name just as Ron has been.  

 Thanks to Christy Houck, Executive Director of Catholic Charities of Delaware, Otsego, and Schoharie Counties for sharing the news.
 

Thank You so much Hannah.   

Here are a few photos from Canstruction at Southside Mall. We had a great event on Saturday. It’s one of our smaller builds but still significant! A total of approximately 2,947 pounds of food. Details provided by Linda Drake
Executive Director
Center for Social Responsibility and Community
Experiential Learning Center Hunt Union
​ ​Linda has lead this event for many years.

Mayor Drnek making an appearance. 

Thank you to all that participated. 
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We have all seen this ad.. It brings tears to your eyes. This is happening in your community. That means here in Otsego County!

You can help a child in you community for $183 a year only .50 cents a day through the Backpack Program. Thankfully because of caring individuals most schools in our County provide this need to as many as the donations allow. More is needed to continue this effort.

My concern today is, there's still a gap during the summer months and holidays. How can we meet that need ? Oneonta with the help from Catholic Charities and numerous volunteers runs a summer program.
Rural towns can not, due to lack of funds and volunteers.  
Below is a flyer that explains the Backpack program. Remember , children are innocent and they are our future.

THE CLARK FOUNDATION AND THE HUNGER COALITION OF OTSEGO COUNTY, WITH ASSISTANCE FROM NYCON, ANNOUNCE FUNDING SUPPORT FOR FOOD PANTRIES IN THE HCOC NETWORK

Oneonta, NY – June 11, 2021 – The Hunger Coalition of Otsego County (HCOC) is pleased to announce $27,000 in funding support for 16 food pantries located across Otsego County.  This support is made possible by The Clark Foundation and The Hunger Coalition of Otsego County.  The New York Council of Nonprofits (NYCON) provided administrative support.  This is the second grant The Clark Foundation has provided since the start of the pandemic.

With the continued challenges from the impact of Covid-19 on Otsego County residents, the Hunger Coalition of Otsego County’s partner food pantries are on the front lines in providing assistance to residents facing significant hardship.  “We are pleased to support these volunteer-led efforts across the County with a second set of grants,” said Jane Forbes Clark, President of The Clark Foundation.  “These food pantries and their volunteers are essential to the well-being of our communities, and we need them now more than ever.”  

“We are delighted to continue our partnership between the Hunger Coalition and with The Clark Foundation to help so many families and individuals living in the County,” said Cindy Blanchard, President of the HCOC.  “Our efforts will continue to fill the ongoing needs of our community.”

This funding will provide essential support for 16 organizations: Burlington Flats Food Pantry, Butternut Valley Food Pantry (Gilbertsville), Community Cupboard of Edmeston, Daily Bread Food Pantry (Cherry Valley), Hartwick Food Pantry, Helping Hands Food Pantry (Oneonta), Southtown Food Pantry (South New Berlin), United Methodist Church Food Pantry (Mt. Upton), Richfield Springs Food Pantry, Schuyler Lake Food Cupboard, FDT Food Pantry (Maryland), St. Mary’s Food Pantry (Oneonta), St. Matthew Lutheran Food Pantry (Laurens), Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry (St. James Church, Oneonta), The Salvation Army Food Pantry (Oneonta), and Unadilla Community Food Pantry.

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About the Hunger Coalition of Otsego County (HCOC): The Hunger Coalition of Otsego County is a nonprofit group located in Otsego County, NY that was created to support services in the community that assure everyone has the opportunity to receive food assistance by uniting together in a network that shares information and resources throughout the county.  The HCOC network is comprised of a diverse group of people representing food pantries, community meal sites, seasonal food programs, farmer's markets, religious, educational, nonprofit organizations and agencies, and individuals concerned with food insecurity of our neighbors.  To learn more about HCOC, visit http://www.otsegohunger.com/index.html or https://www.facebook.com/HCOCOTSEGO

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The Hunger Coalition is proud to announce a $ 10,000 Grant given to CADE to assist in providing nutritious fresh local sourced produce to Food Pantries in the Hunger Coalition of Otsego Network. These funds come from various generous donations given to the HCOC.
CADE Farm to Pantry: For several years CADE has been working on advancing partnerships between Farms and Institutions to spur local food sales. As a response to COVID-19 and abundant food insecurity that was highlighted throughout the pandemic, CADE launched in 2020 a Farm to Pantry (F2P) Program with generous funding and community partnership in Otsego County. The program allows pantries to "sign on" to CADE's program where they could then order from a multi-farm aggregator, 607 CSA, to purchase local products for their
pantry. CADE facilitates the ordering, handles invoicing and coordinates delivery so that local food ordered by pantries can be purchased with ease. The products ordered from pantries are paid for by community funding, to support a win-win of local fresh food to pantries and a stable market for struggling farm and food businesses. This program and local food is of no cost to pantries, with the hope that relationships with farms would continue beyond the scope of the project. Launching mid-June in 2021, thanks to funding support from the Hunger Coalition of Otsego County, CADE will continue this important work of fresh food security and supporting small farms and food businesses.

HCOC: Our group was created to help feeding programs unite. Our Network shares information and resources throughout Otsego County.
We are a diverse group of people representing food pantries, feeding programs, farmer's markets, religious, educational and non- profit agencies and individuals. COVID has expanded our purpose to include other projects to assist pantries in providing for their needs.
CADE: The Center for Agricultural Development and Entrepreneurship is a 501(c)3 nonprofit who works with farms and food businesses in upstate New York to build a vibrant food system, in which locally owned agricultural businesses thrive and consumers are nourished by healthy sustainably produced food.

https://www.otsegohunger.com https://www.facebook.com/HCOCOTSEGO
Facebook: @CadeFarms Website: cadefarms.org

 

We are so appreciative of the Local Support. Thank You
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                                                       Update from: Cooperstown Food Pantry

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​The culmination of five weeks working with five different community partners, we collected 347 lbs of food to distribute to our clients. We really enjoyed the opportunity to connect with our community in a fun, impactful way! 

 Thanks very much, 
Mary Kate

Much of this success goes to the creativity of Mary Kate and staff. During the food drive they moved their bin around town for maximum exposure and posted to Facebook like a little scavenger hunt.

​Watch for more events as the Food Drive and need continues .