Hudson Valley Pilot
By Jamie Larson Aug 29, 2024 Updated Aug 29, 2024
A typical food haul from FeedHV. Image courtesy of FeedHV.
As the Dutchess County Fair wrapped up this past Sunday, a small army of volunteers in neon green shirts scurried among food stalls, collecting leftover bread, dairy, turkey legs, whipped cream and even crab cakes. For the third year in a row the nonprofits FeedHV and Red Hook Responds teamed up to rescue hundreds of pounds of product for redistribution to local food banks and shelters. FeedHV volunteers collected more than 2000 pounds of food in total and another 450 pounds from the Ulster County Fair earlier in the month.
Poverty rates in the Hudson Valley. Image courtesy of the 2022 Poverty Report, New York State Community Action Association.
Since 2018, FeedHV, an arm of the Hudson Valley AgriBusiness Development Corporation (HVADC), has been addressing two major problems in the local food system: food waste and food insecurity. On paper the organization’s solution seems simple: rescue excess food that would otherwise go to waste at farms, institutions and businesses and transport it to regional aid organizations that feed those in need. In practice, it’s an extremely complex logistically undertaking for the organization’s small staff and dedicated partners. Program coordinator Brianna Merrill said FeedHV’s success in rescuing over 650,000 pounds of food since its inception six years ago is due to the generosity of donors and the time and effort of hundreds of volunteers, who pick up food in their own vehicles and drive it to aid centers.
“Primarily we are an agriculture-based food rescue but our program is rapidly expanding,” said Merrill, “We work with farms and purveyors and facilities like schools to rescue food that would otherwise be wasted. Dutchess County is our most active county by far. And we would not be able to do what we do without the folks at Red Hook Responds. We are super proud to work with them.”
Dutchess County Food Waste
While FeedHV serves all the counties of the central Hudson Valley, collecting from over 240 donors, they receive nearly half of their food from Dutchess County, including from the Rhinebeck, Red Hook and Hyde Park school districts. So far this year they have rescued nearly 85,000 pounds of food, with over 41,000 pounds coming from Dutchess. The majority of recipient organizations are in and around Poughkeepsie and Kingston, although they are located in all the towns in the Hudson Valley.
When it can, FeedHV also financially compensates some farms for product, using funding from state programs as well as from grants from other nonprofits like Scenic Hudson. While farms are extremely generous, Merrill said, FeedHV recognizes the financial pressure farmers are under, so if FeedHV can support both ends of the food system, all the better.
Hudson Valley Agribusiness Development Corporation started FeedHV after identifying food waste and hunger as two of the most significant problems in the regional food system. The primary function of the Hudson-based nonprofit, which was established in 2007, is to provide business technical assistance to farms and food businesses. Their slate of programming provides free and low-cost access to business planning, legal assistance, training and more. HVADC also facilitates local access to state and federal loans and grant programs.
HVADC is also a foundational member of the Hudson Valley Food System Coalition, a think tank of local stakeholders aiming to identify and address the largest issues facing the regional food system. Merrill said the biggest systemic hurdle to starting and expanding programs like FeedHV is a lack of transportation and storage infrastructure.
“FeedHV has played an important role in giving HVADC a mechanism to directly address crisis in the regional food system,” said Todd Erling, HVADC Executive Director. “Our dedicated staff and volunteer network do an amazing job of bringing farm-fresh food to the communities that need it most, and they are doing it with products that are healthier and more nutritious.”
In addition to doing their own gleaning and transport, FeedHV helps coordinate the food donations of other organizations. Along with Red Hook Responds, the organization collaborates with The Poughkeepsie Farm Project, Fareground and others. Using the mobile app ChowMatch, FeedHV and its partners are able to coordinate donation transportation quickly to organizations like the Happy To Help Food Pantry in Kingston, Children's Home of Poughkeepsie and dozens more. In total, FeedHV delivers to 175 aid organizations, 55 of which are located in Dutchess County.
Red Hook Responds Executive Director Bianca Verrilli said she hopes her organization’s work with FeedHV at the Dutchess County Fair helps get the word out that Red Hook Responds also serves the food insecure in Rhinebeck as much as in Red Hook.
“Red Hook Responds has a long standing relationship with FeedHV,” said Verrilli. “When it comes to the fair, they are the lead and we are the boots on the ground.”
Like FeedHV, Red Hook Responds also collects food directly from local farms, including weekly donations from Migliorelli Farm and Cultivar Community Farm. Donations are processed through a walk-in cooler at the Red Hook Elks Lodge for pickup and delivery by volunteers.
FeedHV program coordinator Brianna Marrill, Red Hook Responds executive director Bianca Verrilli, volunteer coordinator Diane Lyons, and volunteer Julia. Image courtesy of FeedHV.
On August 29, the Dutchess County Agricultural Society (which runs the fair) and the Powers Great American Midway announced that they will be donating to Red Hook Responds all the meat from a cow purchased by the organizations during the fair’s 4H cattle auction. In addition, a charitable collection of funds raised by the fair’s food vendors was used to purchase the grand champion hog at the Dutchess County Youth Livestock Sale, with the processed meat to be donated to Red Hook Responds, along with a $1,000 donation.
“This work is really meaningful because not only are you getting food to people that need it but we are also addressing food waste,” Verrilli said. “I want to make sure people know we are here for them.”
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