Last month, the Pine Bush Food Pantry received a generous gift toward its hunger relief efforts: a brand-new freezer provided by the Wallkill East Rotary and donated by Michael’s Appliance Center. The food pantry’s volunteers gathered at Pine Bush High School on September 9 to christen the freezer and celebrate that program’s success.

Marybeth Reinfried, a retired school nurse, established the Pine Bush Food Pantry in October 2022. The program initially operated out of a small closet in the Pine Bush Elementary School before the district’s operations and maintenance department built a dedicated space in the high school. Over the last four years, the pantry has provided hunger relief to numerous families within the Pine Bush Central School District. Many hands work together to keep the pantry running smoothly; Social Worker Katie Carson-Decker coordinates the program, the Pine Bush Lions Club donates food and money, the Wallkill East Rotary handles the food pickup, the high school’s retirees bag the food, and the Knights of Columbus distribute those bags to the district’s six schools.

“Our pantry first opened its doors to the Pine Bush community in October of 2022. This was after relocating from Pine Bush Elementary School, which served their building,” Carson-Decker said. “Today, we serve any student, family, or individual who lives in the Pine Bush School District. Food distribution is done through our monthly community distribution events that we started last year.”

With the new freezer from the Wallkill East Rotary and Michael’s Appliances, the food pantry can increase its storage capacity and serve even more families. This October, the program will feed 97 students, a sizable increase from last year’s 71 students.

“We’re grateful to Michael’s Appliances for not only donating a part to repair our old freezer, but also for donating the freezer that we are introducing to everyone today,” Carson-Decker said. “That was a shock to me; he told me everything was free, and it took me a few minutes to process that. It’s a phenomenal gift that we’re grateful for.”

During Wednesday’s ceremony, attendees recounted the program’s history and took group photos with the new freezer. A few speakers also thanked all the individuals and organizations who contributed to the program’s success.

“It takes a village of people to support families and students in a way that we do. And the food pantry is just one way that we accomplish that,” said Joseph Lenz, the school district’s superintendent. “We couldn’t do anything that goes on here without Miss Carson-Decker or the support of the Rotary, who’s always here lending a hand. But it takes all the individuals that we see here today, plus many more like our custodial staff.”

“I say this all the time, and it’s worth repeating, but we are fortunate to live in such a generous community. Anytime there is a need, the immediate response is always ‘How can I help?’ And that is what drives the success of this food pantry,” Carson-Decker said. “The beauty of what we do and who we are is having the many parts make up the whole of the Pine Bush Food Pantry. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for coming, for supporting, and for your contributions and everything that you do.”

“Look at all these amazing people here today doing amazing things. We have Katie and everything she’s done, Joe and the school district opening their doors to the food pantry, and Marybeth when she created it,” said Rob Sassi, president of the Wallkill East Rotary and county legislator. “There’s definitely a need in the community as we’ve seen, and you all have delivered. As president of the Rotary, I couldn’t be prouder of our members, the Lions Club, and the retirees. It’s just wonderful.”