The job scene

Kleffner received a call from a shipping dispatcher saying he had a load of chicken that was refused delivery at a store in Albany. If they couldn’t find someone to accept the chicken, the dispatcher said, it would have to be disposed of in a landfill, contributing to the 119 billion pounds of food wasted every year in the United States.

How much chicken did they have? 6,500 pounds.

Currently, the food pantry does not have the capacity to store more than three tons of chicken, so Kleffner called everyone he knew, including a member of the pantry’s Board of Directors, Bill Waller. Thankfully, Waller knew of a new walk-in freezer in nearby Hartwick that could handle such a volume. He arranged for the delivery truck to go directly to the freezer and rounded up volunteers to offload the cases of chicken.

“The pantry owes a huge thank you to Bryan LoRusso and his family for allowing them to not only store the chicken donation, but for personally distributing chicken to neighbors in need in the local Hartwick community,” Kleffner said.

CFP volunteers were aided by volunteers from the food pantries of Hartwick and Edmeston, which took about 2,000 pounds of the chicken to distribute at their respective facilities. Over the next few days, Kleffner and other volunteer helpers were able to distribute frozen chicken to about a dozen other food pantries throughout the county, including those located in Richfield Springs, Unadilla, and Laurens.

The shipping dispatcher did not provide Kleffner with a reason for the refusal of the load of chicken, but it is suspected to be related to staffing issues at the grocery store in Albany. Less than a week later, another dispatcher contacted the food pantry, offering an additional 2,400 pounds of frozen chicken. Again, if no one could take the chicken, it was going to end up in the landfill. The food pantry’s team met up again and offloaded that donation as well.

Altogether, the Cooperstown Food Pantry took delivery of more than 4-1/2 tons (about 9,000 pounds) of frozen chicken in less than a week, preventing $50,000.00-$60,000.00 worth of meat from spoiling in a landfill. With the help of some very generous volunteers, local feeding programs, and other service-based organizations, all 9,000 pounds of chicken was distributed in about a month.

“With so many struggling to combat the increased cost of food such as ground beef and chicken, paired alongside the termination of emergency SNAP allotments, this delivery arrived at a crucial time,” Kleffner pointed out.

The emergency allotments to which Kleffner refers were instituted in the spring of 2020 by the United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. After three years, the pandemic-era SNAP emergency allotments were discontinued as of the first of February.

According to Kleffner, the regular SNAP payment for an individual who was receiving $273.00 monthly for the last three years in emergency allotments may now be as little as $23.00 per month.

“This has generated a new food insecurity, and this timely donation provided some much-needed relief to those facing poverty and hunger in northern Otsego County,” Kleffner said.

Those willing to be an oncall volunteer the next time the food pantry has a big shipment to unload may contact Kleffner or Jess Lambert at (607) 547-8902 or via e-mail at directorcfp@gmail.com. Cash donations, however, have the most impact. Donations can be made at cooperstownfoodpantry.org or by mailing a check to the CFP at 25 Church Street, Cooperstown, NY 13326.

Will Kleffner is the executive director of the Cooperstown Food Pantry.

Taskforce Sets First Gathering

ONEONTA—Mayor Mark Drnek’s new Welcome Taskforce seeks to ease newcomers’ transition to the Oneonta region, introducing them to all the resources, culture and opportunities available. Targeting those who have recently moved to Oneonta or are considering doing so, and students considering remaining in the area after graduation, the Welcome Taskforce will plan events allowing residents to quickly acclimate and fully integrate as members of the community while also allowing area businesses and service organizations the opportunity to showcase all the local resources. The intent is to encourage new residents by highlighting the vibrancy, health and growth of Oneonta, City of the Hills. The first Welcome Taskforce event is a Mayor’s Welcome Reception from 4-6 p.m. on Sunday, April 14 in the Southside Mall Community Room. There will be refreshments and live music, as well as information tables about local amenities and services, community events, and volunteer opportunities. More on the Welcome Taskforce can be found at All4Oneonta. com. Those who fill out and submit the online “Welcome Wagon Intro Form” will receive up-to-date information on taskforce events and operations.

Earth Festival to Return

MILFORD—The Otsego County Conservation Association announced that Earth Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 15 at Milford Central School. This will be the first time the festival is held in person since before the COVID-19 pandemic. According to an OCCA release, Earth Festival will feature workshops, film screenings from Otsego Land Trust and Otsego 2000, a vendor fair in the school gym, and a children’s activity area. Earth Festival is free to attend, but donations are welcome. Drive-Thru, DropOff Recycling will be a separate event this year and will be held at Brewery Ommegang from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 29. For more information, including a vendor list and workshop schedule, visit the OCCA website.