UlsterCorps connects volunteers to the organizations in Ulster County, NY that rely on their help. Since its founding in 2009 by a small group of volunteers, UlsterCorps has linked thousands of people with dozens of agencies that provide food, clothing, shelter, emergency services, literacy training, child and elder care, animal welfare, and more to the area’s most vulnerable residents. Through its Farm to Food Pantry Collaborative, which can trace its beginnings to a Mohonk Consultations Forum, UlsterCorps addresses food insecurity in the Hudson Valley. More on that in our conversation below with Beth McLendon Albright, co-founder and director of UlsterCorps and program director of Volunteer Services and Food Security for Family of Woodstock.
In honor of our 40th Year Anniversary, Mohonk Consultations is revisiting some key partnerships with organizations that we are excited to have played a role in from their very inceptions. This is one in a series of these conversations.
MC: How is the Farm to Food Pantry Collaborative connected with Mohonk Consultations?
BMA: In 2009, UlsterCorps, FAMILY of Woodstock and RVGA all participated in the Mohonk Consultations Forum “Hunger in the Hudson Valley: How Can we Help?” This gathering in many ways was the inception of our Farm to Food Pantry Collaborative, which, in 2019, distributed over 135,000 lbs of produce from 36 donors and distributed to 52 food pantries, shelters, and community meal programs in the Hudson Valley (708,000 pounds has been distributed through the collaborative since 2009). In 2019 the collaborative also processed 6236 lbs of produce for winter distribution to local food pantries, shelters, and community meal programs. A central component of the program is the recruiting, training and coordinating of volunteers to assist with gleaning, processing and distribution. During the 2019 growing season, 263 volunteers contributed a total of 1460 hours gleaning, distributing, and processing fresh produce. The remarkable generosity of our local farmers and the strong support we have received from volunteers leads us to believe that collectively we can be successful in addressing food insecurity in our community. More info.
MC: Looking back over the history of your organization, what achievement(s) give you the most satisfaction and joy?
BMA: Without question this collaborative is one of the achievements UlsterCorps’ co-founders are most proud of.
MC: How has the coronavirus affected your work and how have you shifted to respond?
BMA: Staff and volunteers from FAMILY, UlsterCorps and RVGA continue to collect and distribute produce to those in need throughout the county and have been active partners in the Kingston Emergency Food Collaborative (KEFC).