On November 12, 2020, Operation Feed was presented the Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce's 2020 Distinguished Service Pride Award. Operation Feed was an initiative that was unprecedented with a number of civic organizations, restaurants, healthcare providers, restaurants, not for profits, elected officials and community residents all partnering to work toward the common goal of supporting those effected by the Covid 19- pandemic. Liberty NY Rotary Club's President Gary (CD) Siegel and Past President Gary Silver accepted the award on behalf of all of the civic groups, organizations and volunteers that partnered to support essential workers, local restaurants and businesses and food insecure families. Also in attendance representing Operation Feed were the Gary's wives, Judy Siegel and Diane Silver, Bill and Sherry Silver, Charles Lee Miller, Shannon Barry and Audrey Garro. "We humbly share this honor with all of these organizations with great pride (pun intended)," said Siegel.
Operation Feed Phase I was born when the Liberty NY Rotary Club decided to make an attempt to support our local restaurants by purchasing meals and delivering them to our local healthcare and essential workers. Initially the meals were delivered to support the healthcare and essential workers at Garnet Health (formerly CRMC) but as the word got out, we were able to support other local healthcare facilities and essential workers including our Nursing homes, Mobilemedic, Public Health and law enforcement agencies. The Monticello Rotary Club came on board to purchase, produce, and deliver the meals on the weekends. With the help of social media, the local press, the Ciliberto and Friends morning radio show on Thunder 102 and word of mouth, support from the community for Phase I poured in, in the form of grants from the Community Foundation of Orange & Sullivan Covid Response Fund, Liberty NY Rotary Club, Rotary District 7210, Liberty Elks Club, Jeff Bank, Friends of Aileen Gunther and Senator Jen Metzger, along with over 175 donations from local residents and organizations helping us to raise over $26,000. When all was said and done, Phase I resulted in over 50 rotarians and community volunteers involved purchasing 2645 Meals, 1150 Bagels, 1145 Baked Goods, 60 Chocolate Easter Bunnies from 25 local restaurants and businesses feeding over 1100 healthcare and essential workers pumping over $26,000 into the local economy.
Operation Feed Phase I was born when the Liberty NY Rotary Club decided to make an attempt to support our local restaurants by purchasing meals and delivering them to our local healthcare and essential workers. Initially the meals were delivered to support the healthcare and essential workers at Garnet Health (formerly CRMC) but as the word got out, we were able to support other local healthcare facilities and essential workers including our Nursing homes, Mobilemedic, Public Health and law enforcement agencies. The Monticello Rotary Club came on board to purchase, produce, and deliver the meals on the weekends. With the help of social media, the local press, the Ciliberto and Friends morning radio show on Thunder 102 and word of mouth, support from the community for Phase I poured in, in the form of grants from the Community Foundation of Orange & Sullivan Covid Response Fund, Liberty NY Rotary Club, Rotary District 7210, Liberty Elks Club, Jeff Bank, Friends of Aileen Gunther and Senator Jen Metzger, along with over 175 donations from local residents and organizations helping us to raise over $26,000. When all was said and done, Phase I resulted in over 50 rotarians and community volunteers involved purchasing 2645 Meals, 1150 Bagels, 1145 Baked Goods, 60 Chocolate Easter Bunnies from 25 local restaurants and businesses feeding over 1100 healthcare and essential workers pumping over $26,000 into the local economy.
When Operation Feed Phase 1 was coming to an end several members of the Liberty Rotary Club along with Les Kristt from the Monticello Rotary Club began discussing what we could do next to help those in need in Sullivan County. We contacted Sims Foster of 'A Single Bite' and he said that they were providing meals to families with children in the Roscoe, Livingston Manor, Sullivan West and Eldred School Districts who were food insecure (or whose food insecurity was exacerbated) as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. He stated that the not for profit, 'A Single Bite' would love to expand their program to other School Districts in Sullivan County, but that they needed others to locate the families in need and distribute the meals to them. Thus was born Operation Feed Phase II.
Between May and September, Operation Feed Phase II delivered over 22,990 healthy meals produced by the not for profit "A Single Bite' to 127 food insecure families in 5 communities in Sullivan County pumping an additional $25,000 into the local economy. While Operation Feed was truly a group and organizational effort, there are some specific individuals who share this great honor
Garnet Health (Formerly Catskill Regional Medical Center) - Charles Lee Miller, Jodi Goodman and Jonathan Schiller *** Operation Endeavor - Shannon Barry
In Liberty – Liberty Rotarians Gary (CD) Siegel, Gary Silver, Bill Silver, Barbi Newmann Marty and Liberty Lion Dan Thalami
In Monticello – Interim Monticello Superintendent of Schools Bill Silver, and Monticello Rotarians Les Kristt, Kathryn Grodin and Shannon Cilento
In Fallsburg – Fallsburg School’s Aleta Lymon and Elisa Baum, and Fallsburg Lions Nate Steingart and Ira Steingart
In Tri-Valley - Tri-Valley School’s Mike Williams and Laura Denman and Tri-Valley Lion Joe Colon
In Livingston Manor – Livingston Manor Rotarian and Livingston School teacher Jaime Snow
In Monticello – Interim Monticello Superintendent of Schools Bill Silver, and Monticello Rotarians Les Kristt, Kathryn Grodin and Shannon Cilento
In Fallsburg – Fallsburg School’s Aleta Lymon and Elisa Baum, and Fallsburg Lions Nate Steingart and Ira Steingart
In Tri-Valley - Tri-Valley School’s Mike Williams and Laura Denman and Tri-Valley Lion Joe Colon
In Livingston Manor – Livingston Manor Rotarian and Livingston School teacher Jaime Snow
Boys and Girls Club of Sullivan County - Barbi Neumann Marty
In White Sulphur Springs - White Sulphur Springs Methodist Church and Boys Scout Troop - Nancy Esposito
Jerry and Rosemary Skoda for their vegetable donations
Pepsi Co, Frito Lay - Lisa Diescher
And from 'A Single Bite' – Sims and Kirsten Foster and the incomparable Audrey Garro
Jerry and Rosemary Skoda for their vegetable donations
Pepsi Co, Frito Lay - Lisa Diescher
And from 'A Single Bite' – Sims and Kirsten Foster and the incomparable Audrey Garro
"Operation Feed was truly a community effort which brought out the best in us to help those in need in Sullivan County," said Gary Silver. "When times got tough for many of our neighbors, we stepped up to help them." While Operation Feed may have ended on September 4th, 'A Single Bite' and many of the more than 80 volunteers are continuing to sustain the program and provide weekly food to families in need. If you are interested in volunteering to help with the initiative, please contact 'A Single Bite' Program Manager, Anastasija Ocheretina