Pine Plains food pantry deals with crisis: Willow Roots feeds the hungry

PINE PLAINS — Husband and wife, Nelson and Lisa Zayas, are committed to helping the hungry in their community. That mission is even more important these days, with the coronavirus pandemic shutting down cities, towns and villages and making obtaining everyday essentials — like food — harder than ever before.

In June of 2019, the couple started up their own food pantry, Willow Roots, which they run out of the garage of their 23 North Main St. home. This past June, the pantry was incorporated as a 501(c)3 nonprofit, a milestone in their mission, which started years earlier in Pennsylvania.

“Lisa had been feeding people for a couple of years before that, in Pennsylvania,” said Zayas, telling the story of how his wife began by cooking meals for an older veteran who had lost his benefits. “We felt bad; it touched us, so she started cooking for him,” and then others, including individuals caring for sick relatives who were neglecting to care for themselves. Zayas said it wasn’t always poverty related.

“But that started getting too big, and we needed to protect ourselves — we found out we couldn’t cook for people, but we could run a food pantry,” he said.

Which is exactly what the pair decided to do. Nelson moved to Pine Plains in 2003, Lisa in 2012. The pair has been together since 2011 and was married in 2015. But their relationship goes back years earlier. Zayas said his wife was his first girlfriend 37 years ago when they were teenagers living in Brooklyn.

“She is the biggest support of me and everything we do,” he said, “and I absolutely must thank her for her tremendous support.”

Together, they feed the Pine Plains community once a week, distributing food every Saturday morning, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. They also deliver to residents who can’t make it to Willow Roots on their own, thanks to volunteer Ray Christensen. They keep two small refrigerators on their front porch that clients can obtain food from 24 hours a day in case of emergencies, which are increasing daily.

“Everything is very fluid,”
Zayas said in mid-March. “I’m getting phone calls left and right. We’ll see where this goes; we do what we can… My fear is we get through this first week — it’s not a problem. But what happens three, four, five weeks down the road? I can’t answer those questions, so we’ll take it one day at time.”

Before the COVID-19 outbreak, Willow Roots had been servicing around 20 households, feeding between 60 and 70 people. Those numbers are climbing. The Pine Plains Food Locker, run out of the Pine Plains United Methodist Church at 3023 Church St. (Route  199), distributes once a month.

“I think what we do is unique from other pantries,” said Zayas, adding Willow Roots works with a number of local farmers and individuals who donate food and funding. While the Food Locker makes use of the state’s Regional Food Bank, Willow Roots does not. The pantry instead receives organic meat, organic eggs and seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables from area farms, including the town’s very own Community Garden, located at Town Hall and tended to by volunteers. Additionally, if the Food Locker has leftover food, it will share that with Willow Roots to avoid waste.

Community Garden organizer Sandy Towers said while she doesn’t really keep track of the numbers, the garden makes a “reasonably good sized contribution to the Food Locker, and then during the month in between distribution, we bring things to Willow Roots, which is great.”

Towers said before the Zayases started their food pantry, the garden “had produce in between the month and no place for it to go, which was always a problem, but is not a problem any more.”

“We have had support from so many people and so many organizations,” said Zayas. “If we say we need something, they really come together to support us. I thank God, it helps, that my wife and I are established in the community. People know me from being a Boy Scout leader for many years in Pine Plains, a robotics coach, a teacher. I’ve earned their trust, so has Lisa.”

Zayas has been an enrichment teacher in both elementary school buildings in the Pine Plains Central School District since 2003. He also does tax preparation and bookkeeping on the side, is a clinical herbalist (he sells homemade elderberry syrup during winter months), is a shaman of sorts for the Paino community (the Caribbean Native American tribe known for finding Columbus) and runs Sacred Ways, a spiritual business, with Lisa, who is a hypnotherapist and Reiki master.

Added into the mix are the six children between them.

“I could retire right now and still have a full day,” said Zayas.

That’s exactly how they like it, he added, noting their goal is to serve those living in the school district, which includes nine townships. Willow Roots also has clients coming from as far afield as Sharon, Conn., Red Hook and Milan, and while it doesn’t advertise outside the area it asks no questions about where clients reside. Additionally, there is no application to fill out at Willow Roots, which only requests information on how many children, adults or senior citizens reside in one’s household.

“We were surprised by the need, and it’s all levels,” said Zayas. “Some people really need services, while some only need services once in a while. One thing I’m very pleased to see, people are not taking advantage. Everyone has been very respectful, taking only what they need. We had two individuals come to us and say ‘thank you.’ One got a job; one got a raise, so they don’t need us anymore. They’re a success story.”

Planning ahead, Zayas said their “greatest need” is a place to store perishables during summer. The pantry has two refrigerators, but they’re not large enough to store all of the donated produce and other perishables. That’s why they just built a Cool Box walk-in cooler in their basement, thanks to Father Steve Schunk of the Church of the Regeneration and St. Anthony’s Catholic Church, which helped fundraise for the $2,500 expense. Local businesses including Oscar Gonzalez Construction and Ginocchio Electric also donated their services to help keep costs down. Carrie Ross, from Feed Hudson Valley, likewise helped with the project, said Zayas.

That’s the kind of cooperation that is at the base of this endeavor, said Zayas, a key part of why Willow Roots has found success. He added that his Board of Directors is instrumental in helping the food pantry run so efficiently, so much so that it’s morphing into a community support network, providing more than just sustenance.

“People are reaching out to us, not just for food, maybe they need a winter jacket for a child,” said Zayas, who said even if the pantry can’t provide the item, it can put people in touch with someone who can.

To learn more about Willow Roots, how to donate, how to volunteer or how to pick up food, check out its Facebook page or call Zayas at 518-751-0164.