Harckham’s 20th food drive collects 1,500 pounds of goods for St. Mary’s

Yorktown officials and residents donated more than 1,500 pounds of goods, including 20 fresh whole turkeys from Town Supervisor Ed Lachterman, to support St. Mary’s Episcopal Church Food Pantry in Mohegan Lake, which serves more than 200 families each week.

St. Mary’s — which receives support from Feeding Westchester as well as donations from Yorktown’s St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Roman Catholic Church and Grace Lutheran Church — has operated a food pantry for 40 years.

The donations came as part of State Sen. Pete Harckham’s 20th food drive, held Feb. 28 at the pantry. Lachterman’s turkeys were provided by ShopRite in Cortlandt.

Harckham was joined by 21 volunteers from the pantry, his staff and members of Locals 60 and 235 of the Laborers’ International Union of North America.

“I am truly grateful to Sen. Harckham, the volunteers, and all of the generous donors—their support is incredibly needed and deeply appreciated,” Cindy Smith, director of operations for the food pantry, said in a press release Tuesday. “Before the COVID-19 pandemic, we were assisting about 85 to 95 families each week. But during and following the pandemic, the level of need skyrocketed, and, while things have eased somewhat, we now are helping consistently close to 200 families per week.”

Dwayne Farquharson, an organizer for the Laborers’ International Union of North America, emphasized the union’s involvement.

“We’re here not just to volunteer, but to stand in solidarity with the community—to support our neighbors and help our brothers and sisters who are struggling to make ends meet,” he said. “In times like these, our union’s strength comes from showing up, pitching in, and backing each other. We’re always glad to help.”

Harckham began hosting food drives in 2020 to address rising food insecurity in the area. The drive-through, drop-off events collect nonperishable food and essential items and have gathered nearly 60,000 pounds of food and more than $15,000 in donations across the region, including right here in Yorktown Heights.