I am obsessed with food. I’m not talking about just eating it, though that is a very important element. I make a weekly menu so I don’t waste food. I have a budget to buy food. I wonder who grows my food. I contemplate how far my food travels. I ponder whether I’m capable of growing my own food. (The last bit isn’t something I normally consider because my yard has more squirrels than sunlight.) I question whether other people have enough food.

Years ago, I started a garden at the Bloomingdale School. It began with a conversation. A few of my child’s schoolmates didn’t know that you could eat a pumpkin. Some children thought pumpkins were only a Halloween decoration. Other children never had a pumpkin, unless from a school trip to a pumpkin patch.

I researched grants, got parent volunteers and donations. The school held various activities around the garden, allowing students to weed, water or pick flowers. At the end of the season, the students picked the produce and assisted the kitchen staff in making pumpkin cookies. By the time my children graduated, I had planted strawberry plants for an easier crop. Other parents stepped up and put their own mark on the garden.

For me, the biggest lesson wasn’t about learning where food comes from, but that each child had such different life experiences. Even growing food wasn’t something every family had the space or time to do. As we enter spring and people start to plant their own gardens, there are going to be plenty of people struggling to put a meal on the table.

I understand we can’t help everyone. We can share resources and information. If you know anyone struggling, please let them know there are meals and pantries available to ease their burden. My experience wondering where my food is grown is not the same as someone wondering where their next meal will come from. As I know you do, give of yourself, what is possible. I am always grateful to be part of such a generous community.

Here are some area food pantries, free meal options and community resources:

Regional Food Bank https://regionalfoodbank.net/ (resource)

Well Fed Essex County https://wellfedessexcounty.org/ (resource)

Franklin County Office For the Aging https://www.franklincountyny.gov/ (resource) Congregate meals and food pickup

Essex County Office For the Aging https://essexcountyny.gov/office-for-the-aging/ (resource) Congregate meals and food pickup

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AuSable Forks

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JCEO Black Brook Outreach, 18 North Main Street, AuSable Forks, 518-647-5411, Mondays and Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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Bloomingdale

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Bloomingdale Food Pantry, parking lot of Bloomingdale Volunteer Fire Department, state Route 3, self-serve, grab-and-go (open 24/7, dried goods only)

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Elizabethtown

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Adirondack Community Action Programs (ACAP), 7572 Court St, 518-873-3207 (resource)

Elizabethtown Community Food Shelf, Church of the Good Shepard Parish Hall, 518-873-6521: Monday and Thursday, 5 to 7 p.m.

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Lake Placid

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Lake Placid Thrive and Thrift, 31 Cummings Road, 518-523-9620, Fridays from 9 a.m. to noon.

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Lewis

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Cornell Cooperative Extension Essex County https://essex.cce.cornell.edu/ (resource)

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Saranac Lake

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Adirondack North Country Association ANCA, https://www.adirondack.org/ (resource)

• Community Lunch Box, St. Luke’s Parish, 136 Main Street, 518-891-3605, Mondays and Thursdays 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

• Community Supper Soup Kitchen, 63 Church Street, 518-891-3473, Wednesdays from 5 to 6 p.m.

• Grace Pantry, St. Luke’s Parish, Baldwin House, Church Street, Wednesdays from 3 to 5 p.m.

• Saranac Lake Interfaith Food Pantry, 57 Church Street (back of the Presbyterian Church), 518-891-7325, Saturday 10 a.m. to noon ( or by appointment)

• JCEO Saranac Lake Outreach, 79 Canaras Ave, (Saranac Lake High School, Door 17), 518-897-1446: Monday and Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Moose Lodge Free Community Dinner, 176 Broadway, 518-891-0045, first Monday of each month.

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Jay/Wilmington

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Jay/Wilmington Ecumenical Food Pantry, 1169 Haselton Road, Wilmington, 518-314-6431: Thursday 4 to 6 p.m.

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Tupper Lake

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Tupper Lake Community Food Pantry, 40 Marion Ave, 518-359-3080, Tuesdays 9 a.m. to noon and Thursdays from 1 to 4 p.m.