Berlin Community Summer Feeding Program

submitted by Trish Gerstel
Earlier this month the Berlin Community Food Closet (BCFC), a local emergency food distribution center, announced its “Summer Feeding Program” which will assist families whose children partake in the school system’s free/reduced-price breakfast and lunch program.
Unlike BCFC’s normal operations, the Summer Feeding Program will provide families with food  before they have a food emergency, noted Coordinator Trish Gerstel, who also described other ways that the program differs from the food closet’s standard program. “First, the amount of food distributed will be determined by the number of children versus the full family size. Also, this program will provide a full week’s worth of breakfast and lunch, including fresh fruits and vegetables; normally we distribute only non-perishable foods and provide for all three major meals for three days. Finally, to make this program work, we will be relying much more heavily on food donations from generous community members,” she said.
The reason for the last alteration is the inability to purchase Summer Feeding Program food through the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, the food closet’s largest source of food for its standard operations. “Because the Summer Feeding Program focusses on a specific age group and because we are soliciting monetary donations, we cannot use Regional Food Bank foods in this program,” Gerstel said.
Families who would like to sign up for the program must return a completed Sign Up Form no later than June 3. These forms are available at the Berlin Community Food Closet, housed in the Berlin Seventh Day Baptist Church’s Maxson Fellowship Hall, North Main Street, as well as in the lobbies of the Berlin and Petersburgh Post Offices and the foyer of the Berlin Seventh Day Baptist Church. The forms also can be downloaded from the Church’s web site, www.berlinsdb.org. Distribution of food through this program will be held every Sunday of the summer vacation from June 16 to August 25 between 1 and 1:30 pm.
Community members interested in supporting the program can become a Sponsor by committing to a weekly donation of food to be dropped off at the BCFC between 12 and 12:30 pm on Sunday or a weekly monetary donation of $25-$30 – a total of $275 – $330 for the entire program. Questions regarding the program should be directed to Trish Gerstel at trishagerstel@berlinsdb.org.