When the pandemic started, the focus on food - how people would get food in quarantine, and/or pay for food - took a front seat. This fear of lack of food access is known as food insecurity. People in communities all over the country started getting together to figure out how to bring food to people who, for whatever reason, have a hard time leaving their house to get to food, either to pay for it at a grocery store or to collect it at a food pantry.
In Beacon, a few organizations started new, or got stronger. In addition to the church-based food pantries that have been serving the region for years, new organizations include Mutual Aid Beacon and Beacon4BlackLives, who started during the pandemic and protests, and Fareground, who was established earlier as a pop-up cafe, and found their calling connecting food to people in these extreme times. Fareground has had their hand in several social projects, and they’ve only just gotten started.
Fareground In The Beginning
Fareground was co-founded by Kara Dean-Assael in 2012. The intention was to be a “pay what you can” cafe “but this shifted due to issues securing space in town,” Kara told A Little Beacon Blog. So they had pop-up cafes around town, with several pop-up cafes at the Beacon Recreation Center in 2014-2015.
Fareground And The Tiny Food Pantries
Fareground is behind the Tiny Food Pantries around town in public spaces, and most recently in low-income housing communities. The concept here is that anyone can leave food inside of the Tiny Food Pantry house, and anyone can take what they need, when they need it.
The first Tiny Food Pantry went up in the summer of 2016 at the Beacon Recreation Center in the front lawn near the parking lot. The next one was inside of the Howland Public Library. Next came Binnacle Books, and Tompkins Terrace. There are 2 Tiny Food Pantries in Wappingers Falls.
The Tiny Food Pantry in Tompkins Terrace, which is a residential community, is managed by a designated manager at Tompkins Terrace. Fareground visits once per month - sometimes twice per month - to drop off food and hold a free marketplace for all residents. In November 2020, Fareground launched the first “community fridge” in Beacon, in partnership with Binnacle Books and Becon4BlackLives.
Where Does The Food Come From?
Fareground is donation-based and applies for grants. People either donate money to them, or supply food. Says Kara: “We have been filling our Tiny Food Pantries on a regular basis. This happens in a number of ways and we have 'managers' to help. People often pick up food from my porch, food from our Key Food bin, or food form our Fareground home at 12 Hanna Lane.” Hanna Lane is home to LNJ Tech, which is an event production facility and location that has been connecting Fareground and other organizations when things they need like supplying sound equipment and set-up, space, etc.
Food Deliveries and Distribution
Fareground has been on the organizing end of getting food to families in the Beacon City School District, and has been distributing food themselves. During the first school shutdown, “we packed 'to go dinner' bags from March-September and dropped them off with the school lunch distributions and deliveries. We also helped the school and Common Ground Farm this fall by purchasing a few things for their Meal Kits.”
Fareground has weekly distributions where they go to different low-income housing areas, which include South Davies, Tompkins Terrace, Meadow Ridge, Forrestal Heights, and. Hamilton Fish on a rotating basis. Fareground sets up a free marketplace on location, and anyone can join to select what they like. “We work with the different housing managers to send out flyers to all residents,” says Kara. “We received a grant from the related foundation to support our work at Tompkins Terrace. This afforded us to drop off 95 turkey kits last Friday (before Thanksgiving) in rolling bags for people to use at our future distributions!” Having a easy to pack-and-carry bag is key to collecting food from any food pantry.
For the December holidays, Fareground has given away 30 meals with more to come. They include donations of Chicken from Murray’s Family Farm.
However, sometimes distribution needs are select. Says Karen: “We also get phone calls from different people in need and respond to them ASAP, usually by dropping off a box of food and connecting them to a food pantry or distribution site. Our board president, Karen George, lives in Wappnigers Falls and has about 15 families she brings food to every week. So, we are really focused on increasing access to food NOW. in both micro and macro ways.”
Food Waste - Saved
Fareground is committed to using all the food, and to not see food wasted. Recently, a group donated untouched food from an event. Kara had this to say to Fareground’s Instagram following: “It was one of the biggest food donations we’ve received, aside from our trips to the Hudson Valley Food Bank, thanks to @akapsales ! She made this happen and we’re so grateful! Don’t throw food away! We’ll find homes for it‼️”
Contact Fareground if you have such events, and want to donate the untouched food.
Donating to Fareground, either with cash or by sending food, can be done here.
