Kathy Purdy’s grandmother lived her life by serving others. Now, her legacy lives on through the tireless efforts of her granddaughter whose acts of kindness sparked the creation of an organization called Hillside Food Outreach.
When Purdy’s grandmother was living in a senior center in Westchester NY, she tried very hard to hide the fact that she did not have enough food to eat.
“My grandmother didn’t have enough to eat and she should have - she had sufficient resources to live comfortably, but she was struggling,” explains Purdy.
Perplexed, Purdy did a bit of investigating. She quickly discovered that her grandmother was making food for people living in her senior housing complex. “She didn’t want them to be hungry,” says Purdy.
Her grandmother’s selfless act of kindness prompted Purdy to call the local foodbank. “It didn’t seem right that my grandmother was bearing this burden alone,” says Purdy. With the help of a few friends (one of whom had a pickup truck), Purdy began to purchase food from the food bank once a month and transport the groceries to those in need at the senior center.
The news spread about this charitable act and Purdy began to feed more and more people who didn’t have the means to purchase food.
Purdy secured 501c3 status in 2002 and Hillside Food Outreach was born. The organization now feeds about 2400 per month in Westchester and Putnam Counties in NY and Fairfield County in CT.
Please join us at HamletHub in supporting Hillside Food Outreach. The organization has a warehouse in Danbury and they are always looking for volunteers to pick up groceries and deliver them to local families in need. Find out how you can volunteer here.
You can also “adopt a family” or make a donation to Hillside. Learn more about how to do so here.