Friends,
Some updates:
- The Job Fair held last week at the Outreach was very well attended, with over 120 plus candidates and 40 companies; kudos to both the Wyandanch Resource Center, which organized the event, and the GROC staff for their assistance in making sure all went smoothly.
- The Catholic Health Mobile Van will be at the Outreach Center on Thursday, October 27th, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm to offer flu vaccinations and health screenings like simple blood tests for cholesterol and glucose, blood pressure screening, and referrals as needed.
- We started our winter coat distribution this week, each client can select a coat from the racks in the clothing room. Fortunately, we have many coats in good condition and some new coats to distribute. All of our programs are in full swing!
As stated in past emails, our client base is increasing as we are seeing at least 11 new families each month in addition to our normal client base. At this point, the Outreach Center is providing food, clothing, and case management to over 560 households per month or 1,300 individuals. Inflation is quite real, and our food costs have increased substantially! In addition to rising food costs, donations from food drives have virtually disappeared. Since donations ran out last year, we are now buying fresh eggs and milk at a cost of $1,600 each month. We distribute frozen chickens to all, which costs $10.95 each and becomes very expensive with our current client base of 560 households per month. “Our food inventory is at a 10-year low,” stated Ken, a dedicated volunteer who has helped restock our pantry for over 12 years. Even our volunteers are asking, where did all the food go? Please see the following food items needed to fill our pantry shelves, and any donation will help.
Cereal, Jelly, Peanut Butter, Mac & Cheese, Pasta, ***Canned Soup, *** Canned Vegetables, Tuna, Pasta Sauce
Our monthly collections from the Parish were recently reduced to every other month, which adds to our dilemma.
One more important ask! The Holidays are fast approaching, and as in past years, we will host both the Thanksgiving Food baskets and Christmas Food and Toy distributions. Our goal is to provide three new toys to each of the 497 registered children. We need new toys for our children, many of whom will only receive the toys we provide during the Holidays, which is a sad reality.
I do not know of any more important charitable work than feeding a hungry child. We need some help! Noelle and I are always available to discuss this if you like.
Thank you in advance for your continued support, which we desperately need now.
Joe
General Food Needs at Gerald Ryan Outreach Center
GROC follows nutritional guidelines to provide, to the extent possible, basic food groups to families seeking food assistance. For individuals or organizations wishing to donate food to GROC, we would greatly appreciate receiving the following dry and canned goods items:
- Boxes of spaghetti pasta
- Boxes of elbow macaroni
- Bottles of vegetable oil
- Boxes of mac n’ cheese
- Dry cereal in the usual 12–16-ounce sizes
- Boxes or bags of 1 or 2-pound white rice (not pre-mixed Rice-a-Roni or similar)
- Boxes of mashed potato flakes
- Jars of various kinds of jelly or jam
- Jars of peanut butter (not the very large jar)
- Pancake mixes
- Pancake syrup
- Chef Boyardee – cans of various styles of ravioli
- Canned beans – kidney, black, chickpeas, etc.
- Canned soups
- Canned vegetables
- Canned tuna
- Pasta sauce (Ragu or similar)
- Canned corn
- Canned fruit
- Ramen and Cup O’ Noodles packages
- Bags of Quick Oats
- Personal Care Products
- Bars of Soap
- Shampoo
