St. Dominic's Students Help Stock Food Pantry

High school special-education teacher Chris-Ann Garcia accompanied seven students from St. Dominic's School in Blauvelt to deliver a van full of donated nonperishable food to the food pantry operated by Catholic Community Services of Rockland. 

The students, enrolled in the school's life-skills class, and others in the school operated by Saint Dominic's Home in Blauvelt collected about 120 pounds of food as part of the "Feeding Our Neighbor" food drive that ran Jan. 23 - Feb. 1. The campaign was a response to Cardinal Timothy Dolan's call to help replenish the food pantries and soup kitchens in the community, which help many families survive.

Catholic Community Services of Rockland Executive Director Martha Robles accepted the food from the students at the organization's pantry in Haverstraw. Robles said Catholic Community Services of Rockland serves 115,000 meals to more than 1,500 households including 6,052 adults, 588 elderly and more than 5,029 children.

There are 408 families enrolled in CCSR Food Pantry Program, totaling more than 1,500 individuals, making it one of the largest food pantries in Rockland County. The CCSR Food Pantry is located adjacent to the CCSR offices at 78 Hudson Ave.