Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community

Hendricks Chaplain Helps Connect People with Produce

Sunday, November 13, 2016, By Aishwarya Nag Choudhury
Share
Hendricks Chapel
headshot

Pedro Castro

Rev. Pedro Castro had a moment of inspiration when he saw produce that was destined for the dumpster—not because the food had gone bad, but because it wasn’t market worthy.

Castro, chaplain for the Historically Black Church ministry at Hendricks Chapel, is now leading a program in collaboration with the AME Fellowship Church in Syracuse, where he is also the minister, to distribute excess produce to the neediest families in Syracuse.

“I thought in my heart and my mind what if we spoke to some farmers and they were willing to give us what was left, and we could take that surplus and be a blessing to someone who has nothing,” Castro says.

The chaplain says that in 2014, 9 billion pounds of produce were wasted in the United States and often it is due to simply cosmetic reasons.

“One hundred million pounds of produce grown in New York annually gets thrown out because it doesn’t meet market standards,” says Castro. “People like their apples smooth, the cauliflower white and the squash without pock marks.”

Castro and members of the AME Fellowship Church contacted Syracuse-area farmers and began collecting their excess produce. The surplus is then redistributed at a distribution point on South Geddes Street among people who cannot afford to buy vegetables from the markets. The produce that was not fit for grocery stores became a godsend for those in need.

produce

All kinds of different and odd-looking vegetables are given away through a program organized by Hendricks chaplain Rev. Pedro Castro.

All kinds of different and odd-looking vegetables are given away. There are potatoes, broccolis, squash, apples and grapes. In a recent giveaway, a poultry farmer donated chicken. They also had free hot food and recipes for preparing the produce.

AME Church Trustee Deborah Hundley says the initiative feeds more than 400 Syracuse families.

“People run out of money for food before the end of the month and so many people who came up were just so appreciative,” says Hundley.

Pat Moraies and her husband are beneficiaries of the food initiative. They say the program helps their family to an unbelievable extent.

“We are both on Social Security disability,” Moraies says. “Squash and all that is very expensive because it goes by the pound. We can’t afford that.”

The Moraies’s say it is not just them, but many like them living on the West Side of Syracuse who have not gone hungry since the initiative started.

Since the program started last year, the church has given away 16,500 pounds of produce.

  • Author

Aishwarya Nag Choudhury

  • Recent
  • Eugene ‘Gene’ Anderson to Depart Syracuse, Tapped to Lead University of Pittsburgh’s Business School
    Thursday, May 26, 2022, By News Staff
  • Newhouse Creative Advertising Students Win 195 Awards in 1 Year, Setting a New School Record
    Thursday, May 26, 2022, By News Staff
  • “Syracuse University to rename the Carrier Dome – what name would fans choose?”
    Wednesday, May 25, 2022, By Lily Datz
  • Digital Badges at Syracuse University: Recognizing and Authenticating Microcredential Moments in Higher Education
    Wednesday, May 25, 2022, By Lyndy McLaughlin
  • Social Work Student Bre’Yona Montalvo Receives First Sunflower Scholarship
    Wednesday, May 25, 2022, By Matt Michael

More In Campus & Community

Eugene ‘Gene’ Anderson to Depart Syracuse, Tapped to Lead University of Pittsburgh’s Business School

Eugene “Gene” Anderson, dean of the Martin J. Whitman School of Management since 2017, today announced he will conclude his time at Syracuse University next month. After more than five years at the Whitman School, Anderson will return home to…

Digital Badges at Syracuse University: Recognizing and Authenticating Microcredential Moments in Higher Education

As higher education continues to anticipate and react to the needs of an evolving workforce, new programs and various modalities have been introduced to provide just-in-time learning opportunities that meet the needs of hard and soft skills sought by employers….

5 Things to Know About the JMA Wireless Dome

Home to countless athletic competitions, five Orange teams, some of the most memorable moments in collegiate sports history and cherished University traditions. Host to Commencement, iconic performers, family-friendly entertainment, high school athletic events and graduations for local districts, and even…

5th Round of CUSE Grants Awards $510,000 to 31 Projects

The Office of Research is funding 31 CUSE grant projects this year in the fifth round of annual internal grants. The Collaboration for Unprecedented Success and Excellence (CUSE grants) program is dedicated to growing the Universitywide research enterprise, enhancing interdisciplinary…

Syracuse University Libraries’ New Website Improves User Experience, Accessibility

Syracuse University Libraries has redesigned its website to remain current, improve users’ experience with a more easily navigated and intuitive way to find information, improve accessibility and align with University branding. The Libraries incorporated survey feedback, anecdotal comments from users, a…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • @SUCampus
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2022 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.