First Ward Food Drive Sees Good Turnout Despite Bad Weather

By BILL BELLEN
ONEONTA

With extensive rain throughout much of the day on Saturday, May 31, it would be enough for many to throw in the towel and stay inside all day. This was not the case for Elayne Mosher Campoli and Emily Ward, council representative and resident of the First Ward of Oneonta, respectively. These two endured the day’s showers to run the First Ward’s community food drive from 10 a.m. to noon, just outside of Valleyview Elementary School. Their setup consisted of a humble pop-up tent alongside Hudson Street, where they collected and organized food donations from those in and outside of the First Ward.

“The First Ward organized it, and the food drive is going to benefit the students of Valleyview Elementary School,” Mosher Campoli said. “We’re hoping to raise awareness about food insecurity in the area, and we’re also hoping to help local citizens and folks in need, especially the children.”

This food drive was the culmination of an effort spearheaded by Mosher Campoli, part of a goal of familiarizing herself with the citizens of her ward and engaging them in their wider community.

“It was a suggestion that I made, just out of the blue. It’s our first time that we’ve done anything like this … We’ve been having meetings together so I can get to know the constituents and they can have a time to talk to me, ask questions, things like that. We have been getting together regularly, so the idea came that we should do something positive together, too, something that could contribute back to the community.”

Providing food to children and families in need is not a new concept at Valleyview, with the school’s BackPack Program being a premiere example of this effort. This program, one of many similar initiatives around the country intent on helping fight food insecurity, sends children home on Fridays with food for themselves and their families to support them through the weekend. Typically, there are food options for each of the three main meals of the day, as well as some smaller snacks.

Though the BackPack Program was not directly connected to the First Ward food drive, it is something thatMosher Campoli has looked to work in tandem with.

With regard to the drive’s role at Valleyview, Mosher Campoli said, “I’ve been in contact with the principal here, Walter Baskin, and he is their coordinator for their food distribution programs. We’re going to bring the food to him on Monday morning, and then he’ll be able to distribute it through whatever programs. It might eventually become part of the BackPack Program; our collection is just separate from that.”

Four volunteers assisted with the drive, with a neighbor storing the donations over the rest of the weekend. These deposits took various shapes and forms, from canned goods to boxes of cereal. Even the methods by which people dropped off the goods varied, as donors adapted to the weather conditions by doing drive-by drop-offs. Despite the weather, the food drive saw a solid turnout, with 12 sizable donations within the two-hour window. The spirits of both the volunteers and those donating remained high throughout, as they gathered and sorted items in the boxes and bags donors supplied.

As the event wrapped up, those who participated were already looking ahead to what could be done next to benefit the community of the First Ward.

“It’s really up to the ward, what they want to do. We have another meeting coming up in June, so we’ll talk about how this event went, and we can discuss if folks are interested in planning any other future events as well,” Mosher Campoli said.

Emily Ward thanked Mosher Campoli for organizing the event, and for providing an engaging experience for her fellow residents.

“The first time I’ve actually gone to ward meetings [was] once Elaine became our council person … This idea of having a community project was right up my alley because I like to volunteer and do things for my community, and I’m hoping that the rest of the wards will possibly look at this as an example of something they can do in their neighborhoods as well,” Ward remarked.

Only time will tell how this event may shape the approach of city officials with regard to community action and engagement moving forward. Opportunities like these provide invaluable assistance to those in our communities who need it most.