New York’s Staten Island. Hundreds of borough children from more than 30 schools, representing a wide age range, worked in shifts at what is typically regarded as Staten Island’s main food distribution hub on a soggy Thursday before Thanksgiving. On this specific day, an annual practice of sorting and packing donations from all around the borough took place in the parking lot of Project Hospitality’s outreach center in Stapleton, creating a festive mood.
Under a tent, volunteers labored in an assembly line resembling a beehive. As Dr. Roderick Palton, the NYC Department of Education’s interim acting superintendent, said, “I call this the heart work.” What I want to see with life skills in action is civic involvement.
He cited this day as the result of organization, communication, and teamwork. Now that elementary school through high school students are part of this endeavor, he was also astounded by the wide age range of the group.
Rev. Terry Troia and Dr. Roderick Palton (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)Silvestri, Pamela
Rev. Terry Troia of Project Hospitality was standing close to the young legion’s edge. She described the situation as a “beautiful chaos.”
We are present in all of the Berry residences, Stapleton, and the South Shore, she continued, as well as anywhere the Moveable Feast mobile pantry van frequently stops throughout the borough.
My Sister’s Keeper coordinators Rosa Perez of PS 22, Juleah Bracker of PS 57, and Tkeyah Kennedy of PS 57 are pictured from left to right. (Silvestri, Pamela; Staten Island Advance)Silvestri, Pamela
Appreciating the blessings on this day
Students were transported to the 200 block of Canal Street by dozens of yellow buses that drove up. Students unpacked food cases and arranged their contents on a central table over a number of hours, depending on the shift. They placed their sorted goods in cartons and regular plastic shopping bags.
“Let’s pack that up again!” exclaimed a nearby supervising instructor as a student’s cardboard container suddenly collapsed and fell to the ground in a smash.
For their fellow Staten Islanders, students from all across the island pack up household essentials and dry products. (Silvestri, Pamela; Staten Island Advance)Silvestri, Pamela
Haseed Rana, a new Dorp senior, emerged from the chaos to offer his thoughtful analysis of the morning. Helping the less fortunate just increases your gratitude for what you have, he remarked.
Mia Perez, president of the Tottenville senior class, and Giovanna Deserio, left. With food donations, the seniors mobilize the Tottenville students. They belong to the Student Advisory Council of Tottenville.(Silvestri, Pamela; Staten Island Advance)Silvestri, Pamela
Senior class president Mia Perez and Giovanna Deserio, the lead of Tottenville High School’s Borough Student Advisory, noted how this particular event exemplifies the success of teamwork. They have assisted in overseeing donations at their Home of the Pirates throughout the year. Today, the gathered non-perishables traveled from the South Shore to the Stapleton pantry on a yellow bus with other classmates.
Hilltopper seniors Emma Wagner, Alexandra Wallace, and Regan O’Connell of the St. Joseph Hills Academy High School Project Hospitality Club, from left to right (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)Silvestri, Pamela
On the Arrochar campus, St. Joseph Hill Academy Hilltoppers Emma Wagner, Alexandra Wallace, and Regan O. Connell stood in for the leadership and members of the Project Hospitality Club. Hill, which is also the alma mater of the Rev. Troia, who created the hunger relief non-profit, has been holding regular meetings for more than 40 years.
Staten Island Academy assistants Nick Acquilano, Ayden Howe, and Sophie Yavorsky are pictured from left to right. (Silvestri, Pamela; Staten Island Advance)Silvestri, Pamela
Three of us assisted in sorting and bagging food here, according to Nick Acquilano of Staten Island Academy. Despite having a very small town, the Academy receives pantry donations from every student, including pasta, canned soup, and many other products.
Birat S. from Project Hospitality and Alan Lewin from the Borough Student Advisory Council of District 31. (Silvestri, Pamela; Staten Island Advance)Silvestri, Pamela
Middle and high school students were represented by Alan Lewin, a public school teacher from District 31’s Borough Student Advisory Council in New York City. He shouted orders to the volunteers, clearly proud of the effort.
A list of items to sort (Pamela Silvestri/Staten Island Advance)Silvestri, Pamela
Remember that each bag contains two protein, two fruit, three grains, and four vegetables. He called into the tent’s din while pointing to a sign. You must ensure that everything is included.
Petrides’ student activities coordinator is John Cucuzza. He took the lead in packing the PH van. (Silvestri, Pamela; Staten Island Advance)Silvestri, Pamela
According to his buddy and coworker John Cucuzza, 450 individuals are fed mobile meals that are packaged in two vans with to-go boxes today. In the final [shift], 300 meals are assembled.
Student Activity Coordinator Cucuzza emphasized, All the food and all the donations with all the students here it brought things full circle.”
Separating food into standard-issue bags, (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)Silvestri, Pamela
Humbling statistics and going forward
Roughly one in ten Staten Islanders or 47,000 people get assistance from Project Hospitality every year. Of those, 33,000 people are kept from hunger by the agency s food services. Children and seniors account for one in four of those who rely on the pantries.
A rep from Project Hospitality said, Cuts in state funding for emergency relief programs all over New York took $300,000 from Project Hospitality s nutrition programs last year. Add to that the higher cost of groceries, and the agency has been more reliant than ever on the generosity of the community to ensure no Staten Islander goes hungry.
What the largest food distribution hub on Staten Island looks like inside when at capacity (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)Silvestri, Pamela
A communication s advisor from the Mayor s Office of Food Policy highlighted borough-level data fromFeeding America s Map the Meal Gap 2024. It breaks down the number of Staten Island s neediest to 11.5% of the population or 56,480 mouths to feed.
From left to right, My Sister’s Keeper coordinators Rosa Perez of PS 22, Juleah Bracker of PS 57 and Tkeyah Kennedy of PS 57. (Silvestri, Pamela; Staten Island Advance)Silvestri, Pamela
As a continuation of the student-fueled charitable spirit, tickets for the 27th Annual Poor People s Dinner will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn at 6 p.m. on Nov. 25.
Flashback to the roots of the Poor People’s Dinner from the 1990s: At the Project Hospitality Community Center, then on Bay Street, Joseph Delaney, left, and the late Joe Madory serve lunch. Madory first envisioned the Poor People’s Dinner, basing it on a similar effort he saw in Trinidad. (Staten Island Advance File Photo)staten island advance
Keynote speaker, Dr. Ginny Mantello, Director of Health and Wellness, Office of Staten Island Borough President, will discuss how health and quality food overlap, and how lack of nutrition can lead to chronic disease on Staten Island, across the city, state, country and globe.
From left to right the coordinators of student activities for the Thanksgiving effort: Cassandra Hines of McKee H.S.; Jesse Siegel of Tottenville H.S.; Megan Anzalone of C.S.I. H.S.; Janine Zagreb of New Dorp H.S. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)Silvestri, Pamela
Tickets are $75 and $50 for seniors and $40 for students. GoProjecthospitality.orgfor more information and to purchase a seat at the table.
Packing up boxes at the food pantry at Project Hospitality’s largest center on Canal Street in Stapleton as students from around the island gather dry goods and household staples for shipment. (Silvestri, Pamela; Staten Island Advance)Silvestri, Pamela
Pamela Silvestri is Advance/SILive.com food editor. She can be reached [email protected].
Set up for distribution at the soup kitchen, here are the beverages and dessert. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)Pamela Silvestri
The finished packing product: These are what food bags look like after packing. Now they are ready to be shipped in time for Thanksgiving. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)Pamela Silvestri
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