Hi friends,
I’m dedicating today’s newsletter to the Kingston Emergency Food Collaborative, a volunteer initiative that began in March 2020 to provide meals and groceries to the community in Kingston, New York.
I’m always paying close attention to how communities stay fed and invested in doing what I can to help my own. To that end, I’m very interested in all the models of community care that exist and sharing them so we can all learn from them.
I think what KEFC does is so direct and so tangible that it would be worth sharing today so you can (a) just know about them, (b) engage their services if you need, (c) volunteer your services if you can, (d) see what exists in your own community that’s similar, and (e) donate if you can to help KEFC sustain its important work.
In addition to sharing about their work, I’ll also be contributing financially and hope some of you might join me. KEFC is in the middle of a summer fundraising campaign right now. They are hoping to raise $20K by tomorrow (Friday July 18th). They’re getting there but they need our help!
Keep reading to learn more about the organization and for 7 questions with my pal Quay Smith who is now working with KEFC as their Direct Service and Outreach Coordinator.
KEFC partners with organizations and individuals that are working in solidarity with community members to ensure that folks have food. KEFC focuses on meeting immediate needs while working to eliminate all factors that contribute to food insecurity and developing plans and policies to achieve food sovereignty for all.
While KEFC was formed to address the emerging crisis presented by the COVID pandemic – namely, the closure of public schools and the loss of access to essential resources they provide to children – many of us knew that unequal access to healthy food for people of any age was more than just a crisis in the current moment; it was, and continues to be, a social emergency that required rethinking how our community lives and works together.
KEFC seeks to remove the barriers and bureaucracy from access to healthy food. Our commitment to removing these barriers to healthy food did not end when the shutdown did. We heard from individuals that deliveries were still needed, and we have developed a program to meet those needs.
Every month, over 200 individuals - including children, adults, seniors and individuals who are disabled - rely on our food deliveries
Our volunteer supported food hotline creates a human-centered process for individuals to access food, with all volunteers receiving training around a culture of mutual aid and solidarity, not charity. We only gather the information necessary to provide food - the number of people and ages in the household, and dietary restrictions. We do not require “proof” of their need, we respect and trust the members of our community know what they need.
MORE ABOUT QUAY: Quay is a Dutchess County born and Ulster County raised resident. They’ve lived in Kingston for over ten years, while being actively engaged in their Queer and Trans community. As a local organizer, Quay previously served as the Board Chair for Rise Up Kingston. They are a professional baker of ten years with their previous role being a Production Supervisor at Bread Alone in Boiceville. Being part of KEFC for Quay means being able to combine their passion for food and feeding people. Quay values providing care, support, and advocacy for the people of the community they live amongst. In their free time, Quay enjoys sitting outside on their porch while listening to music, playing with their four cats, and sharing tons of endless joy with their spouse and friends.
ONE: In a nutshell, what is KEFC and how do people in Kingston access its services?
Truly, our name says it all. We feed our Kingston community while also supporting the needs for emergent food requests. It takes collaboration to make change within the community you’re living. We can’t and shouldn’t do the work on our own. Kingston residents can access our services by calling our hotline at 888-316-0879. To get involved, folks can visit: https://bit.ly/kefcvolunteer.
TWO: How’d you get involved with KEFC?
I immersed myself into the mission, vision and values of KEFC and found that I align with the work 100%. I love feeding people and I care about our community and every one deserves access to food. I started March 2026. I was then offered the position of Direct Service and Outreach Coordinator. It felt gratifying to be asked to step into that role and being abIe to make connections with people in our community on every level, from those fighting for food justice or those actually living with food insecurity. It feels strange calling this a job when for me, it’s just doing what needs to be done to keep our people alive.
THREE: What happens when someone calls the hotline?
KEFC has an incredible team of volunteers across the entire organization. This operation would not be possible without them. When someone calls our hotline to request an emergency food delivery, we get information about the type of food they need (and any dietary restrictions and their cooking facility/storage capacity), we go to the grocery store to purchase the items, and then we deliver to them. Folks can also contact the hotline to request monthly deliveries. We truly do direct service work.
FOUR: KEFC does direct community work. What exactly does that mean?
KEFC’s work is directly putting food into people’s households. We order and receive products from local farms, local businesses, and local distributors. Some of our collaborations with local farms and businesses include Dirt Dance Farm in Kingston, NY, Three Sisters Farm in Kerhonkson, NY, and Kingston Meat Market to name a few. These are just some of the folks that help KEFC to be able to provide fresh picked produce of many varieties, farm fresh eggs, and meat to the 100 households we serve throughout the Kingston area. Twice a month our amazing volunteer team packs the groceries and delivers them. Another important part of direct service is by going to community events to tell people about the work that KEFC is doing and how they can get involved. Making those personal connections and letting people know that there are real people who care about doing this work is so integral to how KEFC operates.
FIVE: If someone is able to donate, what impact will their dollars have?
People often find themselves feeling like the help they can give isn’t enough, so they usually end up not taking any action. I take into account how expensive not just groceries are, but how expensive the entire cost of living is. Donating $5, $20, $100, $500, or whatever you can is directly putting food into people’s households to be able to feed themselves and their children. Whether it’s donating your dollar or volunteering your time to pack or deliver groceries, any support is what helps KEFC to keep doing the work we’re able to do.
Help KEFC buy groceries today!
SIX: If someone is reading this who is not local to Kingston but wants to volunteer with a similar organization near where they live, any advice or “best practices” for them getting involved?
Your local library! They will generally have bulletin boards where businesses, organizations, etc can share their fliers for events. I normally gravitate towards that because they usually have a lot of information about so many community events happening. Checking if your area has any community fridges you can support or any local pantries you can volunteer at is a great way to do direct community work as well.
SEVEN: Lastly, the question I ask everyone: what was your favorite thing to eat when you were growing up?
I grew up in a very blended household so it’s really hard to choose just one. The top three in no order would be my mom’s baked mac and cheese, the Cubanos that my Cuban step-father would make with his own mojo roasted pork, and my Puerto Rican uncle’s arroz con gandules y pollo guisado.
Purchasing culturally appropriate foods, and foods for individuals with dietary restrictions due to allergies, health issues, or religious reasons.
Supporting KEFC’s capacity to develop deeper relationships with nonprofit & business partners and individuals in order to increase in-kind donations of food.
Consulting with experts to support KEFC’s development and outreach strategies, and providing leadership development to their staff.
Deepening KEFC’s systems change work by reestablishing our Systems Change committee - an organizing table that was focused on direct action organizing based on the needs and interests of those involved in our community. This committee will work to address the impacts of Food Apartheid, capitalistic housing systems and harmful government responses to these systems.
Come join me this month in Northampton, MA and/or Newburgh, NY!!! Each of the graphics below is linked and all info is also here at 831 Stories.
P.S. If you’ve read the book, do you know that I wrote an epilogue? And there are recipes and merch, too?? AND FAN FICTION???! Head here!!!!
All about Down to Earth, my romance novel!!, is right here!!!!!
My latest cookbook is What Goes with What and info about all of my cookbooks lives on my website.
Here’s my video library of 130-and-counting! cooking classes.
Here’s my all-time favorite class: a tour of my kitchen and also my mind! It includes a 2+ hour recording and an incredibly detailed companion document that details all of the tools, ingredients + more I use (it’s over 20 pages long!), plus a ton of tips for day-to-day cooking (lots of mini recipes within).
Check out my ShopMy page for my favorite kitchen tools, ingredients, and even clothing items — it’s all there!
And I catalog all of my favorite books right here at bookshop.org.
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