Empowering Communities: How Meals on Main Street and Croton Caring Unite to Combat Food Insecurity

Meals on Main Street is thrilled to join forces with Croton Caring, an organization with a far-reaching vision of supporting the community in all aspects of life. Initially addressing the food needs of older individuals who faced challenges accessing groceries or affording food, Croton Caring has made a significant positive impact on their lives.

Now because of changing demographics in the area, they've expanded their reach to families and immigrants who have recently arrived. And while at first Croton Caring mainly focused on providing food, they've expanded their vision and now help by providing support and assistance wherever they can. 

Support can take on many forms, such as assisting students in obtaining attire for job interviews, or raising funds for a high schooler whose family is unable to finance their school trip.

Croton Caring runs several programs, including an "Adopt a Family" program for the holidays and an "Adopt a Student" program during the school year. They also run the ACE program in local schools, where they review grants put in through the social services and guidance counselor's offices.

Fueling Passion to Fight Food Insecurity: Molly's Journey with Croton Caring and MOMS

However, addressing food insecurity is still central to the organization.

Molly Lemeris started working with Croton Caring around 20 years ago. When her children were young, she emphasized how privileged they were to afford three meals a day. It became something the family worked on together. She has become more involved in Croton Caring in the last six years, joining the board and running several programs. Addressing food insecurity is one of Molly’s passions. 

She wanted to look beyond the program's dependence on food drives and other community donations. These initiatives mainly collect canned or boxed food, which—while filling a need—left a significant nutritional deficit when it came to fresh, healthy foods. She aimed to offer greater assistance than simply providing families in need with basic food items like mac and cheese or spaghetti-o cans. Two years ago, her search led her to discover MOMS. 

Molly says MOMS has changed how they're able to help the community and increase the number of people they can help. MOMS has given them additional support in supplying and distributing nutritional food. “Partnering with Meals on Main Street has allowed us access to fresh food, fruits, vegetables, and meats. Nutritious food, not cans of food. Nutritious food, and we're bringing it directly into the community with these food trucks.”

Through the partnership with MOMS, Croton Caring can provide the community access to fresh and frozen fruit, vegetables, and meat. 

Beyond access to nutritional food, MOMS has also given something else invaluable: choice. Most of the time, those experiencing food insecurity must make do with whatever they're given. But with the food trucks, they get to pick from a quality selection and choose the food they want. 

Molly says. “Our clients are able to shop at these food trucks with dignity. They bring their own bags. It's private. It's dignified. They pick what they want–we're not packing up a box and handing it to them–they are able to come a shopping bags and shop and get and get the mangoes that they want and the cucumbers and take a ham home and a couple of chickens.They pick what they want.”

Looking to the Future

While Croton Caring is currently able to bring the MOMS trucks up six times a year, they hope to increase the frequency of these visits. This is more important than ever as pandemic-era food assistance expired earlier this year.

Learn more about how they served over 500 community members last year and what you can do to help them reach more people here.