Peekskill's Fred's Pantry Gets $50,000 In State Funding

PEEKSKILL, NY — Fred’s Pantry, a food pantry that is administered by the nonprofit Caring for the Hungry and Homeless of Peekskill, received $50,000 from New York’s 2024 fiscal year budget.

State Senator Pete Harckham and Assemblywoman Dana Levenberg secured the funding for the organization that is located at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church.

Harckham said that so many of the community’s neighbors are still facing food insecurity, which is why the fight against hunger continues.

“Fred’s Pantry is truly emblematic of the generosity and selflessness in our communities and the willingness of residents to volunteer hours of their time to help others,” he said.

Levenberg said she was proud to help support the pantry with funding from the state budget.

“Everyone deserves fresh, nutritious meals,” she said. “Fred’s Pantry is an innovative program delivering healthy food from local farms to our neediest residents.”

The food pantry has been in operation since the Great Recession in 2009, when a need for healthy and nutritious food among food-insecure residents, including seniors, became acute.

Cynthia Knox, the CEO of CHHOP, said she appreciates the support provided by the senator and assemblywoman.

“They focus on ensuring that the communities they represent have healthy food, clean water and the necessary assistance to thrive,” she said. “We could not do what we do without them.”

Fred’s Pantry distributed food from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays and 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturdays.

The pantry, located at 137 N. Division St. in Peekskill, currently serves about 1,300 people each week. Almost 90,000 people were served in 2022, according to CHHOP.