Posts Tagged ‘food’

Food As Medicine: A Client Story

Thursday, April 13th, 2023

Our THRIVES and Emily’s Pantry Nutrition Programs serve people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in most Hudson Valley counties. These programs view food as medicine to reduce the risks of dietary-related illnesses like hypertension, high-cholesterol, diabetes, and other health conditions so our clients can begin to or maintain focus on efforts on taking their medications every day. When clients take their meds, they can reach viral suppression and have undetectable viral loads—which helps our entire community, because “Undetectable Equals Untransmittable.”

A senior citizen woman receives a bag of groceries from a social worker in protective gloves.
Photo for illustrative purposes only, not our actual client.

Last fall, Teresa* relocated from Westchester to Ulster County, and it truly became an all-hands-on-deck effort to ensure she and her spouse (also a PLWHA) were linked to the services they need: Engagement and Supportive Services, Case Management, Transportation, and more. She began attending our monthly nutrition health education sessions just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday. 

Teresa has been receiving services at HVCS for 20+ years. She says HVCS “saved my life” and is a safe place to come where she doesn’t feel stigmatized, judged, or helpless. The food we provide in our nutrition programs has been vital to helping ensure that her dietary-related illnesses have been managed and allows her to fill the widening gap between the decreasing SNAP entitlements and her budget. Every month Teresa shares the meal ideas that she and her spouse came up with using the items from the bags we provided. She bravely has tried some new foods (Acorn squash! Quinoa!), with some additional hits and misses along the way. 

Since it was winter, we encouraged Teresa to get out of the house, to be physically active, and to connect with other locals who share similar interests. She has tried mall-walking and has recently joined a book club. Most importantly, she has established care with new providers that she is very happy with, and remains undetectable and virally suppressed.

  –Case report provided by Lissette Otero, Program Supervisor

*not her real name

Most Important Meal Raises Funds for Food Closet Program

Thursday, October 28th, 2021

The 2021 Most Important Meal, presented by Hudson Valley Credit Union, took place on Sunday, October 24th at the Fishkill Recreation Center. We raised nearly $6,000 for our food closet program, which is one of very few HVCS programs not funded by government grants.

Thanks again to our event sponsors and advertisers. View the slideshow from the event here:

What’s Toya Cooking? A Free Recipe

Tuesday, January 5th, 2021
Our first-ever souvenir cookbook is here! Order your copies online–they are shipping now, right to your door! This full-color compilation cookbook is a hardcover over 85 pages long and will sell for $22.00 (plus a $4 shipping fee). That includes a $10 donation to HVCS. Our staff and board members submitted their favorite recipes–from the healthiest gluten-free vegan recipes to full-on frosted cakes. We’ve also got several all-time-favorite potluck recipes.
Here’s a recipe submitted by our Director of Human Resources, Toya, which was inadvertently left out of the book. But, you now get it for free!

Toya’s Oxtail

Ingredient Checklist:

  • 2 ½ pounds of oxtail
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon browning sauce
  • ½ teaspoon ground paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon grown black pepper
  • 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 small can of butter beans, rinsed and drained
  • 2 carrots, sliced or cubed
  • 2 stalks celery, sliced or cubed
  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 3 cups of low-sodium beef broth
  • 1 bunch of fresh thyme
  • 1 sprig of fresh rosemary
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

 

Directions:

  1. In a bowl put oxtail and combine Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, salt, sugar, garlic and herb seasoning, browning sauce, paprika, cayenne pepper, and black pepper together in a small bowl. Rub both sides of oxtail with marinade; pour out excess.
  2. Heat vegetable oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Sear oxtail in hot oil until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Remove to a plate and set a side.
  3. Saute carrots, celery, onion, and garlic in the same skillet until softened, about 5 minutes. Add butter beans, beef broth, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf; bring to a boil. Add oxtail, with its juices, and butter. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until oxtail is fork tender, about 3 hours. (You can also use a crock pot.)
  4. Uncover skillet and increase heat to high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce reduces and thickens, about 5 minutes.

Our apologies to Toya–if you could only see what she brings to our staff potluck lunches!

Most Important Meal Online Auction

Friday, November 13th, 2020

MIM AuctionInstead of our usual cereal buffet in-person event, this year’s Most Important Meal takes the form of an online auction. It will run for one week starting on Sunday, November 15th:

https://charitygrow.org/Browse/C821127/Hudson_Valley_Community_Services

Gift cards and most physical items were donated by generous supporters. The TV/movie memorabilia is on consignment from CharityGrow and will ship right to the winning bidder. Winners may need to pick up other items from whichever HVCS office is closest to them.

Once someone registers and places a bid, the website will contact them if they are outbid. Since expenses for this event were so low, we already have about $6,000 in profits thanks to our sponsors.

Open Letter to HVCS Supporters: NOEP Program in Jeopardy

Friday, June 12th, 2020

Every day brings stark news of how the coronavirus pandemic has worsened hunger in New York State. Because we know hunger will remain a challenge throughout the economic downturn, we need to re-double our efforts to enroll people in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). New York’s Nutrition Outreach and Education Program (NOEP) provides free, confidential services to help people learn about and apply for SNAP benefits.

Thanks to NOEP, Hudson Valley Community Services has been able to provide SNAP application assistance to 400 individuals and 625 households each year so they can afford the food they need. NOEP is a critical front-line response for low income families, seniors, disabled and veterans who are food insecure and need help applying for benefits.

Since the start of the pandemic, requests for NOEP assistance have increased dramatically. With state budget cuts looming, funding for NOEP services is at risk and our community may lose these critical services.  The state has rightfully invested millions of dollars into food banks to meet the immediate needs of New Yorkers who need food now. However, SNAP benefits will provide long-term relief to struggling families. NOEP services help people apply for SNAP and the state’s investment in NOEP is needed now more than ever. NOEP services across the State, including in the Mid-Hudson Valley, are at risk and are currently scheduled to end in June. We are asking that concerned citizens reach out to Gov. Cuomo now to help save these imperiled services.

Donors In The Spotlight: PCSB, UBS Both Hold Food Drives For HVCS

Friday, June 28th, 2019

Special thanks go out to two financial companies with local ties–PCBS Bank and UBS–for both holding food drives this June to benefit our Westchester/Putnam food and toiletry closet. By sheer coincidence, both banks arranged a drop-off of collected goods on Friday, June 28, 2019.

UBS logoUBS, located in White Plains, has organized an internal food drive for the past four years. Employees collect and contribute donations of non-perishable food, household cleaning products, and toiletries.

PCSB BankPCBS Bank, which is a local institution with several branches throughout the region, held a collection drive during the month of June. We are grateful to have their support for the first time.

All donations will help HVCS’ clients obtain more and better nutritional options, plus personal care items to improve hygiene and encourage a healthy home environment. Clients receive pre-packed bags of food on a monthly basis to supplement other nutritional resources, and staff deliver food bags to clients who cannot make it to our Hawthorne or Mount Vernon offices.

Annual AIDS Walk Donations from Otisville’s PACE Group

Monday, June 24th, 2019

On May 18, 2019, members of Prisoners for AIDS Counseling and Education (PACE) at Otisville  Correctional Facility held their annual AIDS Walk. Here’s a look at the results of their fundraising efforts, which take the form of donated foods given to our Newburgh food closet.

Otisville PACE AIDS Walk proceeds 2019

This is a tradition that has been going on for many years and is a highlight of the year for the PACE Program. PACE members advocate for and counsel fellow inmates on HIV/AIDS issues, passing along life-saving educational information.

As inmates, the PACE members do not have access to traditional fundraising tools, so they collect donations of food from fellow inmates, purchased from the Otisville commissary. Inmates do not have the ability to earn or keep much money so these donations are extra-special. (We try to stock healthy, low-sodium items in our food closet, so ramen is usually not on our shopping list. In this case, however, we gladly accepted them, knowing how much work they represented. Plus, our clients who are not on low-sodium diets get to indulge in a treat.)

Special thanks to everyone involved in PACE Otisville, and for our Criminal Justice Initiative program staff for helping to make this donation happen!

HVCS staff put away Otisville PACE AIDS Walk proceeds

Carmen, our Newburgh Program Assistant, and Barbara, CJI Linkage Specialist, pack away proceeds from PACE Otisville’s annual AIDS Walk.

The SNAP Gap

Monday, February 25th, 2019

The results of a food drive for our emergency food closetsSince continued funding was uncertain during the recent government shutdown, the SNAP program (Supplemental Nutrition Access Program, formerly known as food stamps) handed out February benefits in January. The caveat for recipients, however, was that they were expected to spread those benefits over six weeks instead of four–but for a hungry family, that can be a challenge. Now that the shutdown is over, clients may have gone through their SNAP funds already–and face a food shortage for the end of the month.

We weren’t about to sit back and let this happen, of course. HVCS is assisting clients in this situation through the food closet program. With support from generous donors, corporations and foundations, we’re offering our clients double the amount of food bags this month.

According to Hunger Solutions New York, which funds our Nutrition Outreach and Education Program, in March SNAP benefits will be issued early in order to assist SNAP participants to bridge the gap between the January payments and their regularly scheduled March benefits. All March SNAP benefits will be issued by March 7th.

We are committed to ensuring that clients and their families have enough nutritious food to eat no matter what happens in Washington.

Alert: NYS SNAP Benefits & Government Shutdown

Monday, January 14th, 2019

There is some important news for clients of our Nutrition Outreach and Education Program (NOEP).

New York State has taken the necessary steps to ensure that February recurring SNAP benefits (formerly known as food stamps) will be issued to all SNAP recipients in New York State by January 20th. If you are one of our NOEP clients,  please note that this January 20th SNAP benefit is not an extra payment, but rather an early issuance of February’s benefit. Your NOEP Coordinator will work with you on how to budget accordingly since it will be coming earlier. It is also important to note that all households that require recertifications for February should complete all the necessary steps as soon as possible and before January 18th. Local SNAP offices are working hard to have these recertifications processed before January 31st. At this time, there is no information about how March benefits will be impacted. If you have any further questions please reach out to the NOEP Coordinators in your county:

For Dutchess County please contact Elena Dalia at (845) 360-9722

For Ulster County please contact Catherine Cortale at (845) 579-2558

For Orange County please contact Debbie LaBoy at (845) 522-5761

For Sullivan County please contact Pat Ocasio at (845) 842-1232

Fill Chill Food Drive Party Returns On Nov 16

Wednesday, November 7th, 2018

Fill Chill 2018Chill Wine Bar in Beacon is hosting once again their annual “Fill Chill” food drive and dance party, with the 2018 event slated for Friday, November 16th starting at 8:00 pm. Drop off a few cans or packages of non-perishable food to help stock HVCS’ food closets for the holidays–heck, why not bring a whole bag of food? The closets also accept donations of toiletries and household cleaning products. Everyone who donates an item (or more) will be entered into a door prize drawing. You’ll also have the chance to enter the 50/50 raffle.

To keep things in the holiday spirit, Prephab, the region’s premiere DJ duo, will be spinning fun music ranging from disco to pop to dance. Chill will have their selection of wines and bottled beers available, plus their bar snack menu featuring paninis and cheese platters. Chill will donate a portion of sales to HVCS so make sure to eat and drink up!

Chill is located at 173 Main Street in Beacon. Please join us for a relaxing and heartwarming start to your Thanksgiving week festivities!