Groceries
When the collaboration with a long-time grocery partner ended in March, KEFC was unable to continue delivering groceries on a monthly basis to more than 50 households in the Kingston community.

Bard students and faculty raised money to purchase groceries for distribution from the Bard campus in April and May.

Hudson Valley Farm Hub began donating fresh produce (broccoli, cantaloupes, corn, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, and more) to KEFC in June.

Blackbird Info Shop & Café offered their space in June, July, and August for sorting and packing groceries for deliveries.

Clinton Avenue United Methodist Church welcomed KEFC into its space in September, providing for cold/dry storage and a permanent location in which we can store, sort, and pack groceries for ongoing monthly deliveries.

Meals
A special shout out to the folks at the Everette Hodge Community Center who have been preparing meals, funded by Family of Woodstock, for daily delivery by KEFC volunteers since March 2020 . . . and continue to do so.

Fundraising and Grants
KEFC had an ambitious goal of $10,000 for its first Summer Fundraiser, but we are not disappointed by the results. Thanks to the generosity of more than 50 donors, and countless others who shared our social media posts, KEFC raised more than $5,000.

KEFC was awarded a $750 community grant by the Ulster County Italian American Foundation, which is also hosting food drives on our behalf.

KEFC was invited to apply for a Community Grant from Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley.

KEFC was approved as a community partner in the Creating Healthy Schools and Communities (CHSC) grant program, managed by the City of Kingston Department of Health and Wellness and funded by NYSDOH, to purchase a refrigerator/freezer for cold storage.

We are grateful for all in the community who support the KEFC work
*Amplifying our messages
*Packing and delivering groceries and meals
*Providing food and the space for our work
*Donating to our Summer Fundraiser (and continuing to donate!)
*Managing the KEFC Hotline
*Coordinating volunteers and delivery schedules

Meet ALICE
In 2021, the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) stood at $12,880 for a single-person household, or just over $35 a day. For a family of four, the FPL is $26,500, or $73 ($18/person) a day for household essentials.

ALICE – an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed – refers to households earning above the FPL, which makes them ineligible for government social safety net programs, but not earning enough to afford a basic household survival budget.

In Ulster County, which has 75,000+ households, the total number of FPL and ALICE households was 36% in 2021. While conditions have improved for some households, too many continue to struggle, especially as wages fail to keep pace with the rising cost of household essentials (housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, and a basic smartphone plan).

With the annual “survival budget” to meet basic needs for a family of four in Ulster County at $90,936, before tax credits, ALICE households cannot afford the essentials.

KEFC supports households at or below the Federal Poverty Level, ALICE households, folks living in temporary housing, and folks who are not able to get to food distribution sites for a variety of reasons (because they work during distribution hours, have physical or mental disabilities, lack transportation, etc.).