In view of rising costs for life’s necessities, especially for older residents or families with children, local food pantries stand ready to help.
Volunteers are friends and neighbors who may benefit from the existence of the pantry or they may be people who simply want to lend a hand by helping their communities.
Groceries and fresh produce can be just out of reach for families on a budget that struggles to stretch far enough. It might not be all the time, but sometimes a bit of local assistance can make a big difference.
Periodically, The Millerton News looks in on the area food bank programs and updates readers on availability, location, hours and other details. While we try to be accurate at the outset, sometimes hours might change, so it is best to call ahead before visiting.
Understand that these locations are staffed by volunteers who want nothing more than to welcome their neighbors with a warm smile and good wishes. Volunteers are always needed to keep the pantries up and running smoothly. Donations of a few hours of time, groceries and funds are always welcome.
Millerton/North East
Location: North East Community Center (NECC), 51 South Center St. Phone: 518-789-4259, ext. 124. Email: foodaccess@neccmillerton.org. Hours: Every Wednesday, 3-6 p.m. and Thursday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
The NECC Food and Supply Pantry offers groceries and household supplies to local residents prioritizing nutrition. Member: Regional Food Bank of New York. Partnered with Glynwood Foundation’s Food Sovereignty Fund and its partnership with Rock Steady Farm and Chaseholm Farm to offer fresh vegetables, grass-fed yogurt and beef. Volunteers needed: Yes. Donations needed: Yes. More information: www.neccmillerton.org
Location: NorthEast-Millerton Library — two programs. The Little Library Pantry at Veterans Park, at the intersection of Main Street and Dutchess Avenue. Hours 24/7. Take what you need, leave what you can. Also, the Little Free Grocery at the Library, 75 Main St. Phone: 518-789-3340 or submit an order at www.nemillertonlibrary.org for pickup at the library. Residency requirements: No. Volunteers needed: No. Donations needed: Yes, online or to P.O. Box 786, Millerton, NY 12546.
Amenia
Location: Sun River Health, 3360 Route 343. Phone: 845-476-9343. Dutchess County Outreach Mobile Food Pantry. Hours: Every Wednesday, 2-5 p.m. Supported by a grant from Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York and additional support from Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation. Residency requirements: No. Volunteers needed: No. Donations needed: No.
Location: Vine and Branches. Immaculate Conception-St. Anthony’s Parish Catholic Church, 11 Lavelle Road. Phone: 845-373-8193. Nonperishable food items. Hours: Third Saturday of each month, 10-10:30 a.m. Residency requirements: No. Volunteers needed: No. Donations needed: Yes.
Amenia Union
Location: The Food of Life/Comida de Vida Food Pantry. St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 40 Leedsville Road. Phone: 845-373-9161. Emphasis on fresh produce and nutritious foods, organic, locally sourced. Bilingual support staff/volunteers. Hours: Fridays, 2-5 p.m. Residency requirements: No. Volunteers needed: Yes. Go to www.stthomasamenia.com to sign up to volunteer. Donations: Yes. For information, email: contactus@stthomasamenia.com
Ancramdale
Location: Neighbors Helping Neighbors Association at the Presbyterian Church Hall, at the intersection of routes 8 and 82. Phone: Jack Lindsey, 518-329-7306 or Hila Richardson, 917-414-8270. Hours: Mondays, 5-6 p.m. Call for an appointment. Residency requirements: Ancram Township. Volunteers needed: No. Donations: Yes.
Copake/Hillsdale
Location: Roe Jan Food Pantry, 2684 State Route 23, Hillsdale. Phone: Betty White, 518-441-2789. Hours: Fridays, 10 a.m.-noon. Emergencies: any time. Residency requirements: Taconic Hills School District, ID suggested. Volunteers needed: Yes. Donations: Yes, at IGA Market, 2628 Route 23, Hillsdale, or to P.O. Box 475, Hillsdale, NY 12529.
Pine Plains
Location: United Methodist Church, 3023 Church St., P.O. Box 511, Pine Plains 12567. Phone: 518-398-7692. Hours: Second Saturday of the month, 10 a.m.-noon. Residency requirements: Pine Plains Central School District, with proof of residency. Volunteers needed: No. Donations: Monetary, food and toiletries. For information, go to www.pineplainsepiscopal.org
Location: Willow Roots Food Pantry, 7730 South Main St. Hours: first and third Saturday of each month, 10-11 a.m. Thrift Store, same hours. The Giving Box at the Pine Plains Library has drinks, snacks and food items. Phone: 518-751-0164. Residency requirements: Pine Plains Central School District. Volunteers needed: Yes. Donations: Yes, send to office at 23 North Main St., or go to www.willowroots.org
Millbrook
Location: Food for Folks, Lyall Memorial Federated Church, 30 Maple Ave. Phone: Emergency Pantry, 845-242-6508 for an eligibility appointment. Meals on Wheels, 845-677-4235, leave a message. First Harvest Pantry, May through October, Tuesdays, 8-10 a.m., until supplies run out. Fresh produce from Stonewood Farm.
Dover
Location: Center of Compassion Food Pantry, 52 Mill St. Phone: 845-877-9076. Assistance available by appointment, Monday through Friday. Offers food items and household supplies. Volunteers needed: Yes. Donations needed: Yes. Supported by a grant from the Regional Food Bank of the Hudson Valley.
Lakeville, Connecticut
Location: Corner Food Pantry, 80 Sharon Road. Phone: 860-435-9886. Hours: Distribution is on Friday from 3 to 4:30 p.m., and on Saturday from 9 to 10 a.m. Residency requirements: No. Volunteers needed: Yes, from both New York and Connecticut. Go to www.thecornerfoodpantry.org/get-involved to donate or volunteer or call the pantry and leave a name and phone number. Regular drop-off for donations is Friday, 9-10 a.m., but there is a container in the garage.
The refrigeration van at Sun River Health offices in Amenia serves the community as part of the Dutchess County Mobile Food Pantry program.Leila Hawken
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Growing up in the Bronx, Hearn was captivated whenever she saw horses. Her grandfather, a Korean War veteran, had cared for military horses during the war. After returning home, he struggled with addiction, and the invisible wounds of military service. Through every difficult chapter of his life, however, one thing consistently brought him peace.
“Horses bring peace,” he told his granddaughter.
When Hearn was 11, after years apart, Hearn and her grandfather began spending weekends riding together. Less than a year later, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Before he died, he asked family members to help buy Hearn’s first horse — a stubborn paint horse that bit, kicked and frequently threw her off. She wanted to sell him. Her father refused.
“Every life has value,” he told her.
Looking back, Hearn says that lesson became the foundation of everything she would later build.
What began as a boarding stable in 2003 took a different direction after the Dutchess County SPCA asked Hearn to care for horses seized in cruelty cases. She soon realized that although Dutchess County had one of New York’s largest horse populations, there was no dedicated nonprofit equipped to care for neglected and abused horses. Lucky Orphans officially became a nonprofit in 2008.
Some of the more than 40 horses at Lucky OrphansProvided
Today, Hearn is quick to point out that Lucky Orphans is not simply a rescue.
“We’re a sanctuary,” she said.
Many of the more than 40 horses living there arrive with broken bones, chronic illnesses, heart conditions, missing eyes or other injuries that make them unsuitable for riding or adoption. Rather than rehabilitating and rehoming them, Lucky Orphans makes a lifetime commitment to every horse.
In 2013, Hearn became certified in equine-assisted psychotherapy, combining her lifelong relationship with horses and the lessons she learned from her grandfather to create programs for veterans, trauma survivors, children and families facing emotional challenges. The transformations she witnesses continue to surprise her. She recalls one woman who arrived convinced she would not fit in with a group of strangers. During the session, a horse quietly chose to follow her without a rope or commands. For the first time in years, the woman said she felt truly seen.
Another memory has stayed with Hearn ever since. A teenager in a juvenile probation program, wearing an ankle monitor and struggling with anger, entered a round pen with a horse. As his frustration grew, the horse moved farther away. When he finally calmed himself, the horse walked directly toward him and rested its head against his chest.
“I told him, ‘If you can control your energy, you can control the world around you,’” Hearn said.
Stories like these sustain her through the difficult realities of running a nonprofit. Operating the sanctuary costs roughly $52,000 each month, and Hearn lives on the property, where the work never truly ends. Veterinary bills, staffing, fundraising and the daily care of dozens of horses are constant concerns. Then someone returns years later and tells her that the horses changed their child’s life.
“That’s why I keep going,” she said.
Looking ahead, Hearn hopes more people discover what makes Lucky Orphans unique. The organization is expanding its community programming with educational visits, yoga sessions, horse encounters, volunteer opportunities and family events designed to reconnect people with horses and with one another.
Her vision is simple: to create a place where people slow down, reconnect and remember something modern life often makes us forget. If horses could speak, Hearn believes they would offer just one piece of advice.
“They’d tell us to slow down,” she said.
After spending an afternoon at Lucky Orphans, it’s hard to disagree.
For more information or to plan a visit, go to luckyorphans.org
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