Unloading pallets of donations from Shop Rite of Mount Kisco are, from left, Bedford Hills Correctional Facility Local President George Beekman, Bedford Hills Correctional Facility Lt. Robert Arndt, Sullivan Correctional Facility Local President Nikki Wallace, and Bedford Hills Correctional Facility Local Treasurer Chris Martin.
WAPPINGERS FALLS — Working in our state’s Department of Corrections and Community Supervision facilities can feel isolating at times, but CSEA activists from several state corrections locals across the Southern Region have connected over the shared goal of helping our nation’s veterans.
CSEA activists employed at the Sullivan, Woodbourne, Ulster and Bedford Hills correctional facilities delivered truckloads of food to the Castle Point VA Medical Center in mid-November, ensuring the approximately 300 families that use the food pantry had enough food for a bountiful Thanksgiving spread.
This wasn’t the first food drive our union activists have coordinated for Castle Point, but it was by far the largest. In addition to generous donations from CSEA members and other staff from DOCCS worksites, Bedford Hills Correctional Facility Local President George Beekman was able to take things a step further.
Beekman asked if management at Shop Rite of Mount Kisco would donate some of the canned holiday favorites the store stocks up on during the holiday season. Not only did store managers agree, they provided each of the 300 families with candied yams, stuffing, cranberry sauce and other non-perishable goods.
The donations were so overwhelming that staff at the food pantry said they would likely be able to save some of the food for other upcoming holidays.
The DOCCS local leaders said the outreach has been a great way to connect over their shared issues on the job, but they also welcome support from other locals in the region for future projects. In addition to the local leaders who delivered the food to Castle Point, the food drive also included help from Shawangunk Correctional Facility, Fishkill Correctional Facility, Coxsackie Correctional Facility, and attendees at the recent Southern Region Fall Conference.
— Jessica Ladlee
Southern Region state correctional facility local officers worked together to coordinate an
overwhelmingly successful Thanksgiving food drive for veterans who use the Castle Point
VA Medical Center food pantry. Pictured are, from left, Sullivan Correctional Facility Local
President Nikki Wallace, Bedford Hills Correctional Facility Local Treasurer Chris Martin, Bedford Hills Correctional Facility Local President George Beekman, Ulster Correctional
Facility Local President Linda White, Woodbourne Correctional Facility Local President Bonnie Huebsch, and Juliana Martinez, Huebsch’s granddaughter.
