Montgomery Co. Sheriff’s Office helping to collect donations for food banks, animal shelters

AMSTERDAM, N.Y. (NEWS10) — A local law enforcement agency is answering the call for donations as they continue to do what they can to help the community.

The federal government has warned people to avoid grocery shopping as much as possible in the upcoming weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic. Items like non-perishable foods are in high demand.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office is now hosting a continuous food donation program where residents can leave food and other non-perishable items for deputies to pick up and distribute to local food banks and animal shelters in the area.

According to Sheriff Jeff Smith, officers will maintain their daily routine, and while patrolling in between calls, they will stop at houses to pick up items people have left.

The deputies will keep human contact to a minimum by having residents leave items at the end of their driveway and then deputies will sound the siren when pulling away to show their appreciation for the donation.

The items will be distributed to the Catholic Charities of Amsterdam, The Reformed Church in Fort Plain, and Fulmont Community Action in Fonda.

The sheriff said the program is not only helping the community but also developing relationships between the sheriff’s office and residents.

“We hope that it is something the community can benefit from and appreciate because it’s a win-win for me,” he said. “The patrol vehicles are out their patrolling anyways. They are still responding to police calls, so if they can go pick up a donations that’s at the end of their driveway, it’s part of their daily routine. It gets them off the main roads and into neighborhoods. We’re not talking to people, but they know we are there because we hit the siren, and I respond back to emails so they are communicating with us regularly.”

To learn more, contact the sheriff’s office by sending an email to foodbankdonation@sheriff.montgomery.ny.us.