Food truck brings the farm to Philipstown

Ruby Koch-Fienberg has always loved farming and food systems - an interest that led her in 2022 to earn a master's degree in food studies from New York University.

"I wanted to work with farms, helping them connect more with food pantries," said Koch-Fienberg. "When this job appeared on my radar, it was the perfect fit."

The job is serving as ag and food systems coordinator with Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) for Putnam County, which is based in Carmel. Koch-Fienberg coordinates the extension's Farm to Truck Program, which provides free produce to Putnam County residents facing food insecurity.

CCE contracts with Meals on Main Street, a nonprofit in Port Chester, to deliver food each week. Farm to Truck also drops food at pantries.

On Wednesday (April 16), the Meals on Main Street mobile pantry spent 45 minutes parked at the Chestnut Ridge retirement community and the Philipstown Friendship Center for seniors. It served 85 people at the two stops, said Irma Arango, who has worked for Meals on Main Street for 15 years.

Another 25 people had picked up food at the Brookside Senior Citizen Coop in Philipstown earlier in the day. The truck also makes weekly stops in Putnam Valley, Putnam Lake, Patterson, Carmel, Kent and Mahopac.

"I like engaging with the people," Arango said. "I see their need and I see the smiles on their faces when they see the truck." She said clients sometimes leave thank-you notes. "People are so grateful."

A Philipstown woman who picked up food at Chestnut Ridge said she relied on the weekly deliveries. "It's good for so many things, especially fresh vegetables," she said.

The mobile pantry that day had milk, onions, potatoes, beets, carrots, kale, radishes, apples, baked goods and frozen salmon. The selection will grow as the season progresses.

CCE launched Farm to Truck in May 2024 with a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It is operated in partnership with New York Food for New York Families, a division of the state Department of Agriculture and Markets.

The program supports regional agriculture by purchasing produce from about 20 farms in Putnam (including Longhaul and Glynwood in Philipstown), Dutchess, Columbia, Orange and Westchester counties.

Mobile Pantry Schedule

Monday: Putnam Valley

9:45 a.m. Library

11 a.m. Senior Center

Wednesday: Philipstown

9 a.m. Brookside

10 a.m. Chestnut Ridge

11:30 a.m. Senior Center

"We've spent more than $700,000 [on locally grown products] and expect to spend $1.3 million by the end of August," said Koch-Fienberg. She said Putnam residents made more than 3,000 trips to the food truck in March, which included many repeat customers. Nearly 300,000 pounds of produce, meat, eggs and dairy products have been distributed since the program began a year ago.

Koch-Fienberg said it can be hard for people to ask for help, especially in communities considered wealthy. "Pockets of every community experience need," she said. "We absolutely have need in this county."

The most recent data compiled by the United Way for its ALICE Project (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) indicates that 37 percent of households in Putnam are above the poverty level but below the annual income needed for basic survival, including savings for emergencies.

Koch-Fienberg said that it's not clear if the federal grant that funded Farm to Truck will be renewed when it ends in August. "People have come become so reliant on the program, she said. "It's incredibly sad for it to have an uncertain future."