A Single Bite’s family meal program prepares and delivers more than 2,600 nutritious meals to Sullivan families facing hunger and food insecurity every week.

"These are neighbors, people that live down the street; there are kids that go to bed without food so we feel it's our obligation to help with that," said Kirsten Foster, who co-founded A Single Bite with her husband, Sims.

The family meal program was launched in March when they realized that many Sullivan County families were finding it hard to put food on the table due to the pandemic. According to Feeding America, nearly 20 percent of children in Sullivan County are food insecure. In a 2020 survey of the overall health of all 62 counties in the state, Sullivan was ranked 60th based on health factors like high levels of adult obesity and lack of exercise.

A Single Bite hopes that by giving families access to free healthy and balanced meals they can help solve Sullivan's hunger problem and low health rating.

"Now we have two fronts: we are feeding our neighbors who are in need but also feeding them with the premise that real food is what they need and that they want," Sims Foster said.

Once the meals are packaged, they’re sent out the door and off to one of Single Bite’s school partners. A Single Bite has partnered with every school district in Sullivan County to identify families in need. Schools are then used as meal distribution sites. Volunteers pack their cars with the meals and then head out to deliver each one by hand.

Dan Hart is a teacher at Liberty High School and a Single Bite volunteer.

"I work at the high school so I'm here anyway so it’s a good thing to just on my way home drop off some meals, help out some families who are down on their luck," he said. "You do what you can, when you can, plain and simple."

Sometimes he finds himself delivering food to some of his current and former students.

"It's just neat to see the appreciation of people it kind of makes me feel good when you do something that makes a difference no matter how small," Hart said.

Back at the school, Cynthia Diaz is picking up a meal for her family.

"It helps a lot," Diaz said. "My son is home now with the virtual school so breakfast, lunch, dinner it's expensive and right now I'm on unemployment with everything going on so it helps."

This initiative is made possible by the Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan. Visit https://cfosny.org if you'd like to help, or learn more.