Realtors from around the region have joined forces with The Food Pantries for the Capital District in an effort to gather more food for those in need.
On Thursday, July 21, a seminar was held to introduce real estate agents in the Capital District to the idea of helping moving families that are packing their belongings take the leftover food in the house and pack it up for donations.
The idea came to Saratoga Schenectady Schoharie Association of Realtors President Stuart Thomas during a New York State Association of Realtors presidential luncheon. It was there he heard Long Island had a food program where Realtors helped collect leftover food from houses to donate to food pantries. Thomas said he liked the idea and approached Tom Mason, president of Arnoff Storage, to figure out how to put the program together.
Mason suggested working with Food Pantries Executive Director Benji Fox. Thomas said he then spoke with John Manfred, general manager of the Manfred Real Estate Learning Center, Inc., who said using his learning center would be a great way to get the word out to Realtors in the Capital District about the program. Thomas said that this program isn’t just open to Realtors, though, and said he wanted anyone who had an interest in helping to be involved.
We’re getting Realtors, some bankers and some insurance people, Thomas said. `My philosophy in life is to be inclusive. The more people you can bring in, then the more ideas and the better it is going to be.`
Thomas said this program can now be used as a tool to make the moving process better for both Realtors and their clients. He said there hasn’t been a serious effort to try and get the food people will throw away during a move into the hands of people who need it.
Thomas said real-estate agents are community builders, and, he asked, what could be a better way of improving the community than to help feed the hungry?
`We actually improve the quality of life,` he said. `So why not team up with our clients and also help them improve the quality of life for someone else.`
Fox said the involvement of the SSSAR is basically the same as gaining another set of volunteers to help in getting more food for the pantries. It is also another way of promotion for the pantries, he said, as it can help any pantries in the area that are struggling.
This new effort will also help out the pantry’s food warehouse program. The program allows pantries to have a spending account to buy whatever materials suit their specific needs. Fox said this reduces the amount of overhead for his organization and reduces the amount of waste produced. The real estate community can now help out in its own way with reducing the amount bought by the pantries, especially during the summer months, which Fox said is critical.
`The more food that comes into the program, then the less the pantries have to purchase,` he said. `During the holidays, some people think of people being hungry. The reality is hunger is an all-year struggle. Particularly in the summer time for people that have children because in the summer, these kids aren’t in school any more. Granted, some of these schools may not have the best food programs, but the kids are getting some kind of sustenance throughout the day.`
Manfred, who said he is very involved in the food pantry in Watervliet and with the Knights of Columbus, said he saw this program as a great opportunity for Realtors. He said it also fits in to who he is as a person in trying to help fulfill the needs of others.
`This is really operating on a bigger scale with more resources versus just working for a local food pantry,` he said. `We can do more with more people and more organizations.`
Thomas said this will even help out the person moving as it takes away the stress of trying to figure out what to do with the leftover food.
`It’s a hard time when you’re selling or moving,` he said. `Change is hard and this just makes in a little bit easier.“
