Helping Hands Food Pantry Inc

04/21/2026

Thank you to the Southern Ulster Rotary Club for your hospitality and generosity. We loved spending the evening networking, sharing the story of the pantry, and feeling your genuine support. Your interest and donations will help us serve so many more people in our community.

04/17/2026

We are incredibly grateful for the continued generosity of , who has been donating fresh food to Helping Hands Food Pantry each week.

Because of their kindness, we are able to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to our neighbor making a meaningful difference for the families we serve.

Thank you, Mountain Brauhaus, for your generosity and for helping us nourish our community 💚

03/11/2026

Looks like some delicious fun!

Gifts & Good Neighbors: A Full Moon Farm and Full Circle Commons sponsored Chili dinner

On the precipice of Spring’s re-emergence, together, let’s all share a delicious meal from the same pot. The Chili dinner is offered by Full Moon Farm and Full Circle Commons as a gift to our community. We will have a very short discussion with Paul Colucci and have plenty of time to commune with our neighbors, share stories of the winter and dreams of the seeds we are sowing for the coming seasons. This event is family-friendly, and open to all our neighbors. The chili is a gift from Full Moon Farm. Benton will do the cooking and Gardiner Bakehouse will offer some cornbread. In addition to enjoying the chili, we will be making loads of extra food to jar-up and share in the coming days with members of our surrounding community who might be hungry and appreciate a hot meal.

As Nora Bateson said, “There can be no community without communing”.

When: Thursday, March 19th | 6:00 - 8:00 pm

02/17/2026

Looking forward to seeing everyone!

Community + Conversation Potluck Dinner! ✨

Let’s share a meal and good conversation! Bring a dish you love to make — or just love to eat! 🥗

This event is free, family-friendly, and open to all Gardiner neighbors.

It’s a potluck — so expect surprises and deliciousness!

🗓️ Thursday, February 19th
6:00-7:30 PM

📍The Living Room at Full Circle Gardiner | 297 Bruynswick Rd. Gardiner, NY 12525

Hosted by Gardiner² — Community Multiplied.

Let’s build community — one dish at a time. See you on February 19th!

01/28/2026

Feeling cooped up with all the snow and cold? This is the perfect excuse to get out and connect with some neighbors. Join us at Full Circle Gardiner on Thursday evening for a community potluck.

Bring a dish, bring a nonperishable item for Helping Hands, or simply bring yourself. Be sure to sign up and come spend time with one of our community’s biggest supporters.

It will be a warm night in more ways than one.

Community + Conversation Potluck Dinner!
Thursday, January 29th | 6–7:30 PM
The Trailside Lounge (the cafe space adjacent the Gardiner Bakehouse) at Full Circle Gardiner at the corner of Bruynswick Rd & Rt 44/55

Let’s share a meal and good conversation! Bring a dish you love to make — or just love to eat. If you don’t have time to cook this time, just bring yourself and enjoy the what your community brought to share.

This event is free, family-friendly, and open to all Gardiner neighbors.
It’s a potluck — so expect surprises and deliciousness!

Let’s build community — one dish at a time. See you January 29th!

01/17/2026

If you were not able to attend the first one, come see what you missed. It is a great opportunity to meet new people in the community and reconnect with familiar faces you may not see as often during the winter months. Best of all, it supports the pantry.

✨Community + Conversation Potluck Dinner!

Let’s share a meal and good conversation! Bring a dish you love to make — or just love to eat. If you can’t bring food for the table, please consider bringing non-perishable items for the Helping Hands Food Pantry.
Everyone contributes in their own way

This event is free, family-friendly, and open to all Gardiner neighbors. 🏠

It’s a potluck — so expect surprises and deliciousness!

🗓️Thursday, January 29th

⏰7:15–8:45 PM

📍The Living Room at Full Circle Gardiner

Hosted by Gardiner² — Community Multiplied.

Let’s build community — one dish at a time. See you on January 29th! 💫

01/17/2026

We are honored to be awarded a Community Grant from the Valley ()! This grant will support [our general operations. Thanks to CFHV for leading the way in connecting generosity with community needs and nonprofits.

01/09/2026

Feeding America’s statement on the USDA’s 2024 food security report just came out, and one line really stayed with me:

“It doesn’t always look like hunger in other parts of the world, and the media is much more likely to cover the cost of groceries than they are to talk about families facing the reality of food insecurity.”

That distinction matters. Food insecurity doesn’t always look like empty plates or dramatic images. Often it looks like parents skipping meals, stretching food past its limits, choosing cheaper calories over nourishment, or quietly worrying about how to make it to the end of the week.

Rising grocery prices are real, but they’re only part of the story. Behind those headlines are families making impossible trade-offs every single day, often without visibility or voice.

According to the most recent report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 48 million people live in food insecure households.

12/26/2025

✨ In November, our fearless leader, Jean LeRose — director of the pantry and the heart behind so much of what we do — received the Pride of Ulster County Award for her incredible volunteer work at the Helping Hands Food Pantry.

This honor is so well deserved. Thank you Debra Clinton for Ulster County Legislator - District 16 and to everyone who helped make it happen, and a special thank‑you to Hudson Valley Times for sharing this moment with our community. We’re so proud to celebrate Jean and the impact she makes every single day. 💛

Recently, Ulster County Legislator Deb Clinton [Dist-16 Gardiner/Plattekill] presented Jean LeRose with a Pride of Ulster County Award for her volunteer work at the Helping Hands Food Pantry, located …

12/24/2025

As the year comes to a close, we just want to pause and say thank you.

Your generosity—through food donations, Christmas gifts for children, and monetary support—has made such a meaningful difference. Because of you, many more families will be able to experience the joy of the season alongside their loved ones.

What fills our hearts most isn’t just what was given, but the kindness, care, and community behind it. We truly couldn’t do this work without you.

✨ A few reminders:

⭕️ Our Hope for the Holidays campaign is still going, and donations can be made directly through our website. https://www.helpinghandsofgardiner.com/donations

⭕️ The pantry will be closed for the holidays and will reopen to clients on January 8.

From all of us, we wish you a joyful, peaceful holiday season spent with family and friends. Thank you for being part of this community.

12/10/2025

A Heartfelt Thank You to Our Community

To all of the incredible businesses and community members who contributed to our silent auction — thank you. Your generosity made this event not only successful, but truly meaningful.

We know we say it all the time, but it’s the truth: we simply couldn’t do this without you.

What fills our hearts most isn’t just the donations — it’s the kind words, the encouragement, and the belief you share in the work we’re doing. Hearing that support from you means more than we can say.

Watching our community come together, lifting one another up and showing up for our neighbors, is what motivates us every single day. Your generosity, your spirit, and your kindness remind us why this work matters — and why we’re so proud to do it right here at home.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.
We feel incredibly grateful to be part of this community.

Sincerely,
Everyone at Helping Hands