It All Began with Milk 

In 2020, as COVID began its Spring rampage on the people of Earth, the world shut down. Everything. Cities, schools, restaurants. Almost every institution that bought bottled milk stopped or slowed its consumption.   

But the cows didn’t stop producing milk, and the farmers still had to milk them, even though there was no place to sell the product. Pictures of big cans of milk being poured out on the ground across the dairy states became symbols of the losses perpetrated by COVID. 

Seeing the PR nightmare and sick about the waste, the American Dairy Association stepped in to save the day. “We will collect and bottle the milk, if the communities can find a way to distribute it.” And so, we did. Through the Human Services Leadership Council and Salvation Army, InterFaith Works began a weekly run, picking up the bottled milk and delivering it first to ten, and then 24 inner city churches, mosques, and refugee groups. Some of these faith groups had slowed or shut down their food pantries over the years, and this effort renewed their faithful commitment to feeding the hungry people in their midst.

InterFaith Works is determined to expand its food justice mission after observing the potential of the many faith institutions in our community and how persistent hunger and food deserts have become for our community. We partnered with InterReligious Food Consortium located a few blocks away, a partnership that has really expanded the capacity of faith-based food delivery. We think of IFC as “our pantry.” 

The milk deliveries led to partnerships with The Food Bank of CNY, an organization that IFW had a major role in launching back in the early 1980s! Through the Food Bank, IFW secured weekly food boxes containing fresh produce and milk products like yogurt, cheese, and butter. These boxes became a mainstay for many families that could not work during COVID and resulted in the rebuilding and expansion of a network of food partners from across Central New York. This group of 51 includes local pantries, farmers, food delivery systems, and many engaged in sustainable food justice. It meets monthly through our Center for Dialogue (CDA), helping the smaller operations source and pay for food throughout the year.  

Simultaneously, several churches dedicated land around their building to the creation of community gardens that became demonstration sites for people wanting to learn how to garden, and for churches to supply their pantries with freshly picked foods. These gardens supply food not only to themselves but also to other partners in the network. 

This year, a major partnership between InterFaith Works and St. Joseph’s Health, Food as Farmacy is providing food to the local pantries AND helping these pantries grow their capacity to serve their neighborhoods by providing freezers, shelving, and carts that expand the type of food that can be given and the ease of securing the food for hungry people. 

In the coming year, we expect IFW to double-down as a resource to connect and coordinate food access. Thousands of families will find themselves short at the end of the week with food prices soaring and the loss of critical benefit programs that have provided needed support. One of our important partners in this effort is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) who recently brought a semi-truckload of food to Syracuse to be distributed through the Pantry Partners affiliated with us! Thanks, LDS! 

If this inspiring story of community collaboration to meet a critical human need is inspiring to you, would you consider supporting our work with a gift? You can make a standing monthly donation to Food Justice at IFW, through the donate button below. You can purchase TOPS grocery cards, as we try to keep some on had if a family comes in and tells us they have run out of food ($25 and $50 cards go a long way for families in need). Drop them off at our office at 1010 James Street. Pebble Hill Presbyterian and Christ Church in Manlius have helped us in this way, and you can, too.

Let us feed hungry people and thereby open our hearts to the suffering in the world. 

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?" Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

To set up monthly payments or for assistance, please contact Keith O'Brien at kobrien@ifwcny.org.

Beth A. Broadway

bbroadway@ifwcny.org

2025 ILAD HONOREES:

Andy Breuer, Chief Joe Cecile, Dr. Mantosh Dewan, Ahmad El-Hindi, Marci Erlebacher, Stephen Fournier, Fr. Fred Mannara, and Sheena Solomon

On Sunday, August 3, the El-Hindi Center for Dialogue & Action hosted it's 25th Building Bridges Community Festival (formerly known as the Duck Race to End Racism). Several gathered to celebrate together, embrace our diverse heritage, and share the richness of our collective traditions. The festival featured 25+ community partners, 6 STEM tables with hands-on activities, 17 corporate sponsors, and 70 volunteers! A fresh food giveaway took place and 170 bags of fresh, healthy foods were handed out to families.

The winners of the Duck Decorating Contest won in three categories:

Most Representative of D.E.I.B. - Crouse Health

Crowd Favorite - Bousquet Holstein

Most Representative of Company's Mission - NewsChannel 9

The festival had 70 volunteers!

Two students from the Seeds of Peace program.

Beth Broadway, President & CEO with Linda Ervin, Chair of the Board at IFW, and Karin Franklin-King, festival host for 24 years.

Through our partnership with St. Joseph's Hospital's Food as Farmacy program, we gave away 170 bags of fresh, healthy food.

Onondaga Earth Corps Inc and ME/WE Art Therapy Lab & Studio hosted community art projects for festival-goers.

Festival-goes enjoyed activities like a caricaturist, gaga ball, henna, face painting, and more!

There were several performances by local groups, including La Casita, shown above.

Couldn't attend, but want to support? No problem! Our $25 for 25 campaign is still active. Give a gift that is meaningful to you. Support the legacy. Make an impact. Give today. There are two ways to give:

Age Well Days are about continued learning, having fun, and being connected. Sessions have included: Age Well - Move Well; Self-Care for Caregivers; Health & Empowerment for Older Women; and Light After Loss: Grief, Trauma, and Resiliency. We are grateful for our sponsors Tops Friendly Markets, Wegmans, and Green Hills Farms.

Our donors have made a big impact over the last six months, helping to raise $66,412. Because of you - and others like you - we continue to provide essential services, even as the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program remains on pause and federal funding has been drastically reduced. Read more...

Thank you to UnitedHealthcare for their generous donation to our Refugee Resettlement Services. In this photo (l-r): Pie Manirarora, IFW Director of Resettlement Services; Sarah Chamberlain, UnitedHealthcare; Genevieve Marshall, IFW Senior Director Center for New Americans; Joanne Wynings, UnitedHealthcare; Marwah Alobaidi, IFW Chief Development Officer; and Jennie Prouty, IFW Community Engagement Manager.

United Way of Central New York, in partnership with Rebekah's Oddfellows, provided 50 backpacks to IFW to distribute to New American students ahead of the school year this fall. We are grateful for their generosity and contribution! In this photo (l-r): Nan Eaton, President/CEO of United Way of CNY; Jennie Prouty, IFW Community Engagement Manager; Olive Sephuma, IFW Chief Operations Officer; Ken DeVincenzo; Barbara DeVincenzo; Celinda Hamilton; and Elizabeth Osei-Kwame, Volunteer Administrator of United Way of CNY.

After several years serving as Program Director for the Center for New Americans, I’ve recently stepped into the role of Chief Development Officer at InterFaith Works. This new role allows me to continue championing the people and programs I care so deeply about- while also helping to grow the support that sustains them. I’m excited to stay connected and work together to ensure InterFaith Works remains a strong, compassionate presence in our community for years to come.

With deep appreciation,

Marwah Alobaidi 

About InterFaith Works of CNY



InterFaith Works affirms the dignity of each person and every faith tradition, builds racial and religious equity, and creates bridges of understanding among us. The agency has served the Central New York Community for 49 years with programs that include the Center for Healthy Aging, the Center for New Americans, and the El-Hindi Center for Dialogue & Action.

InterFaith Works of CNY | 1010 James St. | Syracuse, NY 13203

Phone: 315-449-3552 | Fax: 315-449-3103 | Email: info@ifwcny.org | interfaithworks.org