Happy New Year!

As I look ahead to the challenges, and opportunities they bring in this new year, I am reminded of the challenges we faced in my first few months back in the Spring and Summer of 2016. Caritas of Port Chester was a relatively new organization, having established a board and obtained its 501c3 status just three years before, even though it had been operating as an outreach program of Holy Rosary Church for nearly two decades.

The major challenge we faced back then was finding a new location in which to operate our kitchen and pantry, and we found one at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in the heart of Port Chester. It was supposed to be a temporary space while we looked for a suitable location for our permanent operation and headquarters. In my August report to the Board that year, I set our priorities for the coming months.

Increase population served each week.
Increase food and food rescue donations.
Identify opportunities to expand support to underserved individuals.
Improve procedures, scheduling and planning to minimize inventory levels, reduce waste and loss.
Provide a level of confidence that empowers Caritas to look to the future optimistically, so all involved can become spokespersons of the vision and purpose of the organization.

So, how have we done?

We began providing meals in our new location with the expectation of serving 40-50 people per day and the hope of growing that to 100. Today, we prepare and distribute 700-900 meals per day.
In 2016, the total weight of purchased and donated food was 86,939 pounds. The total for 2022 is over 600,000 pounds and our goal for 2023 is to double that.
Our operating model at the time was to provide a safe place for people to come to and receive food. Today we deliver groceries, fresh produce and meals to families all across the village and to a growing number of locations throughout the county.
Strategic partnerships on both the supply side and the distribution side, along with increasing our cold storage capacity were key factors in our growth, allowing us to share what we have learned with other organizations.
Our rebranding as Meals On Main Street clarifies our mission to engage the entire community in the battle to eliminate food insecurity and to do so with dignity and respect for every member of our society.

Many organizations were forced to close during the pandemic. Our ability to stay vital and stay open was due to three important decisions made by our Board of Directors. The first was to maintain one year’s operating budget in the bank at the start of each year. Without a liquid source of funding, we would not have been able to take advantage of COVID relief funds, which were paid out as refunds for expenses incurred.

The second critical decision was to seek out and share information with other organizations, those with greater experience in the field and those in need of help. This willingness to foster a culture of collaboration and cooperation has opened up new horizons for us, and continues to do so. It is evident in our new mission, building community through food.

Finally, and probably the most challenging decision made was to stay focused on the goal; to feed the hungry. We do food. That doesn’t mean we don’t seek to help the community in a variety of ways other than food, but food is at the heart of our mission, and it is our specialty. By focusing on food, we are almost forced to partner with other organizations to meet the demands of those we seek to help.

So, as we start this new year, we look back in order to look ahead.

The priorities haven’t changed much. They have become incorporated into our operating methodology. Dream It. Build It. Share It.

Nothing is impossible if we ask the right questions and are open to hearing the answers. Working together, we will build a better community. We have done amazing things together during these past ten years. Let us continue to dream big, build strong community ties, and share the best fruits of the harvest with those who need it most.

If you have any thoughts or questions, please reach out to me personally at BillCusano@mealsonmainst.org. I look forward to hearing from you. Let’s plan to meet over coffee in our new building when we open in the coming months.

With sincere gratitude and thanks,

Bill Cusano

Executive Director