CATSKILLS, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Food insecurity is an ongoing problem in the Capital Region. As many find themselves struggling, the No Neighbor Hungry Campaign is asking the community to help out and make a difference.

“When there’s a problem, when there’s a concern, when there’s a need—and clearly there is, here—that’s when the community comes together and forms that safety net,” said Michael Castellana, CEO and President of SEFCU. “That really forms the fabric of a community so you can understand the true nature of it, and I think that’s what we are today.”

There’s 30 food pantries involved and for the Catholic Charities of Columbia and Greene Counties, community resource navigator Kendra Huber says they’re making sure residents have access to what they need.

“The economy is so tricky right now and with the stores, sometimes they don’t bring all the groceries so anyone could find themselves just needing a bag or two of groceries,” Huber said. “We all need a little something, a little help sometimes. It’s no big deal, that’s what we’re here for.”

Pre-pandemic, those who needed food assistance would be able to come to the food pantry, grab what they need and be on their way. Now, things are operating a little bit differently—so one way they’re getting food to people who need it is that they are calling ahead, prepping a bag ahead of time and delivering it right to their doors.

“We would speak with them, see how many people are in the family, if there’s any food restrictions, diet restrictions and then we just pack up the food,” Huber said. “If the health department doesn’t have transportation available we will go ahead and bring it to the house.”

As Huber says these last 9 months have been a challenge, additional funding can go a long way.

“Some of us are working from home, remotely and a lot of the resources that we are looking for are working from home so it’s very tricky,” Huber said. “It’s like pulling teeth to get some of the stuff that we need so you have to be flexible, resilient and do what you can but it’s a lot different.”