POUGHKEEPSIE — The “All for One” community initiative hosted a food drive outside of the Poughkeepsie Galleria to provide groceries to Dutchess County families impacted by food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Sarah Salem, director of Development for Dutchess Outreach, weighed in on the growing hunger crisis in the area.

“Even before this crisis in Dutchess County, 27,000 individuals were considered food insecure. That’s around nine percent of the population,” she said. 

“Now that COVID has hit our community, we’re seeing in our organization, individuals who are coming back after 20 years of not needing our services.”

Food donations were collected from a drop-off spot in Barnegat Road in Poughkeepsie between May 28 and May 30. Around 1,300 boxes of food donations in total were collected and distributed to families in need via a drive-thru.

Dr. Seema Rizvi, the organizer of the initiative, and her husband, Dr. Syed Rizvi, gave a check of $5,000 to Dutchess outreach, which was accepted by board member Todd Bender.

Tara Whalen, associate director of Dutchess Outreach, praised their donation and fundraising efforts.

She said the Drs. Rizvi “are doing a tremendous amount of work to battle the uptick in food insecurity. The drive-thru food distribution was a spectacular idea.  Hundreds of people were able to get food at the event.  When combined with the very generous donation to Dutchess Outreach, the Rizvis will be feeding several hundred more people in need.”

Dr. Rizvi expressed her gratitude for the overall generosity of the community.

“The idea of doing food boxes is also for the community working together to show the sensitivity and compassion,” she said. “I’m very blessed that we have a beautiful community.”

Both volunteers and families showed up an hour before it was set to start, which touched State Senator Sue Serino.

“People lined up here at 12 o’clock, knowing that it started at one,” she said. “I can tell you from talking to hundreds and hundreds of people each week that aren’t collecting their unemployment, that they’re desperate for food. And it’s evident today that you’re getting people coming through.”

While attendees were delighted by the generosity of the community, they also expressed concern around the ongoing riots across the country that emerged after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. 

Both Serino and her opponent in the 2020 State Senate election, Karen Smythe, offered their thoughts on the matter. 

“Now is it time with an ever that we should be united and not divided,” said Serino. “We need more kindness and respect in our country.”

“I feel very, very strongly that we need to be supporting everyone in our community,” said Smythe, who lent her support to the food drive as a volunteer. 

Dr. Rizvi expressed a desire to host an event similar to her annual All for One solidarity discussions that will address the recent incidents. She also hopes to start a food drive for families in the City of Beacon in the near future following the success of this food drive.

MONTICELLO – Several members of Rural and Migrant Ministry and the Hudson Valley Area Labor Federation rolled through Monticello on Sunday to highlight safety and security for farmworkers and food chain workers.

Juanita Sarimento, the Sullivan County Coordinator of Rural and Migrant Ministry, said while those workers are considered essential, their health was not a consideration.

“There are a lot of workers that didn’t get protection when they needed it. We have had people pass away in our farms and in our food plants due to COVID-19 because the infection was just overwhelming their bodies and even still, it took until somebody died for the farms and plants to provide proper protection, PPE, and safety guidelines,” she said.

The Sullivan County rally and caravan was one of several held around the state including in the Finger Lakes, Central, and Western New York regions.

TOWN OF POUGHKEEPSIE – Town Police in Poughkeepsie responded to 11 East Cedar Street at 1:34 a.m. Sunday for a report of a person who had been stabbed.  Upon arrival, police encountered two victims in the driveway at the house, both in need of medical treatment for stab wounds.

Police officers applied at least one tourniquet to a victim while awaiting medics from Mobile Life and the Fairview Fire Department.  Officers were able to get “street names” for the three possible suspects as well as the car they used to flee the scene.  An all-points bulletin was issued to all police in Dutchess County to search for a white Ford Crown Victoria with the trunk held down by tape.  The alleged suspects are known as “Ace,” “Smooth,” and “King.”

While officers were investigating at the scene and medics were treating the victims, police were advised that another stabbing victim had arrived at Vassar Brothers Medical Center.  Police officials believe that the patient at Vassar was the third victim at the East Cedar stabbing.  The two victims at the crime scene were transported to local hospitals by Mobile Life Support Services.

Shortly after the victims were transported, the Town of Poughkeepsie Police updated the bulletin based on information received during the initial investigation.  The vehicle description was revised to have officers looking for a 2007 white Mercury Marquis, registered to an individual identified as Melissa Wood.  In addition to the multiple town officers that responded, a deputy from the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office was also on the scene.

UPDATE – sources have told Mid Hudson News that the town police located and impounded the Mercury Marquis on Sunday.

TOWN OF POUGHKEEPSIE – Town Police in Poughkeepsie responded to 11 East Cedar Street at 1:34 a.m. Sunday for a report of a person who had been stabbed.  Upon arrival, police encountered two victims in the driveway at the house, both in need of medical treatment for stab wounds.

Police officers applied at least one tourniquet to a victim while awaiting medics from Mobile Life and the Fairview Fire Department.  Officers were able to get “street names” for the three possible suspects as well as the car they used to flee the scene.  An all-points bulletin was issued to all police in Dutchess County to search for a white Ford Crown Victoria with the trunk held down by tape.  The alleged suspects are known as “Ace,” “Smooth,” and “King.”

While officers were investigating at the scene and medics were treating the victims, police were advised that another stabbing victim had arrived at Vassar Brothers Medical Center.  Police officials believe that the patient at Vassar was the third victim at the East Cedar stabbing.  The two victims at the crime scene were transported to local hospitals by Mobile Life Support Services.

Shortly after the victims were transported, the Town of Poughkeepsie Police updated the bulletin based on information received during the initial investigation.  The vehicle description was revised to have officers looking for a 2007 white Mercury Marquis, registered to an individual identified as Melissa Wood.  In addition to the multiple town officers that responded, a deputy from the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office was also on the scene.

UPDATE – sources have told Mid Hudson News that the town police located and impounded the Mercury Marquis on Sunday.

KINGSTON — City residents in Kingston, led by a group of high school students, joined demonstrators nationwide to protest the death of George Floyd, who was killed by police in Minnesota earlier in the week.

Saturday afternoon, well over 100 protesters marched down Broadway to City Hall in a non-violent demonstration organized by three high school students.

Mia Buford, one of the organizers, said she and her friends were fed up with having their social media feeds inundated by images and posts regarding George Floyd’s death, so they decided to start promoting the demonstration early Friday morning.

“We were like, you know what, let’s just do something about it. It’s that simple; just doing something, getting people together. It’s so easy to do and it needs to happen more often,” said Buford. “I’m tired of sharing things on Facebook. Things need to be done. We need to take action,” she said.

Sabrina Glover, another of the youth organizers, added that they needed something positive to do with their outrage.

“Seeing everything all over your timeline, it makes you very, very angry and it’s like, I’m so angry I need to do something with this anger. I need to do something that’s going to benefit my community,” said Glover.

Speakers after the march praised the non-violent conduct of the participants, amidst violent riots happening elsewhere around the country. Members from various community organizations and local government also reminded the mostly youthful demonstrators that participation in their local government is the first step to invoking the type of change in policing their looking for. Kingston currently has police accountability legislation under review that was drafted months before the George Floyd incident.

Ulster County Human Rights Commissioner Tyrone Wilson said above all, he hopes everyone remembers why they were marching once press and social media attention dies down.

“I would love for us to not forget this,” said Wilson. “I’ve been to several rallies and several protests; but, after a certain time, we seem to forget that moment that we were here. It’s about keeping that energy. It’s about keeping people active. Don’t forget this,” he said.

Youth organizers said there will be another group holding a demonstration Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Academy Green.