By: Ashley Catherine Fontones

The Gov. Mario Cuomo bridge is aglow in warm orange light this week for a great cause. For the second year, Hillside Food Outreach hosted the Lights of Hope bridge lighting event at the Sailhouse in Tarrytown Thursday.

The bridge was lit orange, the symbolic color for hunger awareness, during a special viewing party for Hillside Food Outreach.

The event, one of Hillside’s largest annual fundraisers, supports the non-profit’s mission to delivery nutritious, high quality food to those who need it most.

Kathy Purdy, founder and director of Hillside Food Outreach, said the group hand delivers necessary food items to people who can’t get to food pantries, including those with special diets.

The group was also there “to honor Westchester County,” Purdy said, “for their tremendous support of the work that we do.”

According to the Hillside website, the group makes 1,800 deliveries a month to 2,000 families in Westchester and Putnam counties, as well as in Fairfield, Conn., and has conducted 500,000 such deliveries since 2002.

In addition to sourcing donations of food and supplies, Hillside purchases food from local farms, in order to provide fresh produce to those in need.

How to help Hillside Food Outreach

Hillside Food Outreach is always on the lookout for Hunger Heroes — supporters who can help battle hunger in the Lower Hudson Valley community.

There are plenty of options when it comes to helping out. You can opt to donate $10 a month (which can feed someone for two weeks), you can donate specific supplies or food items, or even volunteer.

Hillside is in need of the following supply donations:

Diabetic foods

  • Glucerna
  • Whole-wheat pastas
  • Brown rice
  • Sugar-free cereals (including brans, oatmeal, shredded wheat)
  • No-salt-added items and no-sugar-added foods

Healthy staple foods

  • Sugar-free canned goods
  • Low-salt/salt-free canned goods
  • Peanut butter
  • Healthy cereals
  • Tuna fish
  • Whole-grain pastas
  • Soups

Baby supplies

  • Diapers
  • Baby food
  • Baby cereal
  • Baby shampoo
  • Baby bath
  • Baby lotion
  • Diaper rash ointments

Personal Hygiene

  • Shampoo
  • Hand soap
  • Toothbrushes
  • Toothpaste
  • Toilet Paper
  • Tissues
  • Deodorant

To learn more about how you can help Hillside Food Outreach, check out their website: hillsidefoodoutreach.org.

This article was originally published by The Journal News on November 22, 2024 and can be viewed here.