Thousands of pounds of food ... and it's not nearly enough
Sunday, November 22, 2009
By PETER N. SPENCER and MARK STEIN
Staten Island Advance
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The amount of food stacked on crates at the Dr. Theodore Atlas Foundation in
West Brighton yesterday morning would have been enough to create a feast of epic proportions.
It included 9,000 pounds of turkey, 3,500 pounds of potatoes, 21,000 pounds of yams, 715 cans of gravy,
800 cans of corn, 6,336 rolls, 266,000 ounces of cranberry sauce and 470,400 ounces of juice.
But it wasn't nearly enough.
Not during a year when the city's jobless rate is the highest it has been in decades, and an economic slump
continues to hurt Staten Islanders and the organizations that try to help them.
For its annual Thanksgiving food drive this year, the Atlas Foundation received more than 2,000 requests
for turkey meals from churches, schools, senior centers, community organizations and individual families --
more than twice as many as they received last year, according to Kathy Zito, the foundation's executive
director. They had about 750 meals to give away.
"It's just tough. People are hungry. They've lost their jobs, their food stamps have been reduced," Ms. Zito
said.
The Atlas Foundation, with its recognized and respected name and long list of famous and repeat donors,
has done better than most charitable organizations this year. This year's Teddy Dinner, held in the Nicotra
Ballroom at the Hilton Garden Inn, Bloomfield, is on target to raise the most money in its 13-year history,
according to foundation officials.
But even their significant resources are stretched in these tough times.
"People are having trouble paying their rents, their electric bills, their phone bills. There is so much need for
everything we do," Ms. Zito added.
However, the Atlas Foundation had no shortage of volunteers yesterday. Students from PS 13 in Rosebank
and the members of College of Staten Island's baseball team were among dozens who helped bring food
from the organization's Cary Avenue headquarters to sites across the borough.
Later yesterday afternoon, folks flocked to Heath ExpressTax in Stapleton to gobble up one of the 500
turkeys business owner Ronnie Heath Jr. and his family were giving away for Thanksgiving.
Councilwoman-elect Debi Rose joined the Heaths as they gave turkeys to people who waited on line
outside the Osgood Avenue business.
"With the economy doing so poorly, the price of turkey went up. It's really great the Heaths can make it
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