Feeding the Need
Feeding the Need
Local business owners offer some extra help for those who need a meal this holiday.
The thought of food delivers such a strong message. The smells, the taste, the flavor. Especially at this time of year. It’s an every day preparation for so many, a table set and a meal that fills you up. But for some in our area, a stomach growls and the resources aren’t available. Or affordable.
This is a story that has played out all across Western New York as the COVID-19 pandemic rolls along. Food insecurity. Defined as “a household's inability to provide enough food for every person to live an active, healthy life.” (feedingamerica.org)
According to the feedingamerica.org website, Cattaraugus County’s food insecurity rate was 12.8% in 2018. The 2020 projection has jumped to 17.3%.
Enter Nick Pitillo and Randy Kane. Most know Pitillo by now, owner of Villaggio in Ellicottville and Osteria 166 in Buffalo. Randy “Hummer” Kane, owner of Shults Automotive in Olean. Their kind hearts recently combined to help two groups in our area. Kane, in conjunction with Fredonia Chrysler Auto Dealership, dropped off a special delivery Monday - 150 dinners arrived at the Fredonia Food Pantry, located inside the Fredonia Presbyterian Church. The United Church of Ellicottville Food Pantry also received 150 dinners, delivered by Pitillo, helping people in our area who aren’t sure where their next meal may come from.
Kane provided the financial backing, and Pitillo provided the culinary work through his pandemic-born endeavor, Stock the Freezer.
Pitillo tells ellicottvilleNOW, “So many people, especially this year, are in need of help. It’s just an honor to be able to do something like that and get it out there, and lend some help to people.“
Kane explained, “A lot of people have lost their jobs or didn’t work much this year. It just kind of made sense to give something back; it’s good to know that somebody’s going to get a nice meal for the holidays.”
Here are some sobering facts, sourced from feedingamerica.org:
Households with children are more likely to experience food insecurity.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, more than 10 million children lived in food-insecure households.
Every community in the country is home to families who struggle with food insecurity, including rural and suburban communities.
Many households that experience food insecurity do not qualify for federal nutrition programs and need to rely on their local food banks and other hunger relief organizations for support.
If you’d like to help in our local area, please reach out to the The United Church of Ellicottville Food Pantry at 716-699-4003.
Pictured: Nick Pitillo (center) with business partner Ed Gurbacki (left) and a Food Pantry volunteer (right) unloading Stock the Freezer donations at the United Church of Ellicottville.
