Every Friday evening, NEDIS distributes pantry goods, fresh produce, frozen meat, and bakery items for around 120 individuals at MESA Episcopal Mission in Dover Plains. Although we are not a food pantry, we collaborate with St. Thomas Episcopal Church Food of Life/Comida De Vida food pantry in Amenia, House of God and Door to Heaven/Casa de Dios y Puerta del Cielo food pantry in Pleasant Valley, and the Pawling Resource Center. We also partner with Stonewood Farm to bring prepared food to our guests, made from otherwise unused donations from our weekly distributions. In addition to access to food, there is a caseworker available at the food distribution to assist guests.

NEDIS hosts a food and resource distribution every Friday where we distribute grocery items, produce, and frozen meats through Comida de Vida food pantry in Amenia, NY. We also receive generous donations from the Pawling Resource Center (Pawling), Puerta del Cielo (Pleasant Valley), and private donors. We serve around 120 individuals per week. The overwhelming majority of our guests are hispanic and most immigrated from countries such as Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, Honduras, and beyond. We are always looking for ways to provide our guests with culturally correct and nutritious food.

Our Friday food and resource distribution is not a food pantry, although we do collaborate with different food pantries in order to provide food for those who need it. Our food distribution partners include: St. Thomas Episcopal Church Food of Life/Comida De Vida food pantry in Amenia; House of God and Door to Heaven/Casa de Dios y Puerta del Cielo food pantry in Pleasant Valley; the Pawling Resource Center; and Stonewood Farm in Millbrook.

In addition to food, there is a NEDIS case worker on duty during the food distribution to provide case management and referral services. Meetings on Friday nights are either by walk-ins or by appointment with the Outreach Director.

We have also partnered with Stonewood Farm for a new program, Full Heart Kitchen/La Cocina de Corazón Lleno. Stonewood’s Culinary Director, Chef Kristen, takes leftover fresh produce or underutilized grocery items from our food distribution and turns it into nutritionally balanced, ready to eat, and culturally correct meals for our guests. We welcome our guests and volunteers to sit down to eat these meals together in order to cement deeper connections within the NEDIS community or to take them home to their families who may not have access to prepared food.

The food and resource distribution happens every Friday evening from 6pm to 8pm at Mision Episcopal Santiago Apostol (MESA) in Dover Plains, NY. For information about how to help, including in-kind donations of food and personal/household items, please contact the Operations Coordinator.

Full Heart Kitchen dinners happen every other Friday evening during the Food and Resource Distribution. For information about when the next dinner is, please contact the Operations Coordinator.