Goshen, N.Y. – Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus has named Glenice Foglia of Middletown the Citizen of the Month Award winner for the month of November.
Neuhaus recognized Foglia for her dedication to the Middletown Lions Club’s “No Kid Hungry” initiative, which assists children who are considered food insecure, on Thursday, November 15th at St. Paul’s Methodist Church in Middletown.
“Glenice has been an integral part of running “No Kid Hungry” and is also the program’s greatest advocate,” Neuhaus said. “Glenice takes great pride in the program and the schoolchildren that it serves. Her enthusiasm for the initiative has inspired many others in the community to become involved and hundreds of children have benefited.”
The Middletown Lions Club packs backpacks with food for the Enlarged City School District of Middletown’s four elementary schools, Maple Hill, Truman Moon, Presidential Park and William A. Carter, through the “No Kid Hungry” program. Funding is provided by the County’s Orange Cares Program, which Neuhaus introduced in September of 2015. A total of 15,910 backpacks have been distributed since the Orange Cares initiative was implemented. Orange Cares identifies food-insecure children across the county through partnerships with the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley, schools, food pantries the County’s Department of Social Services.
Approximately 10.2 percent of Orange County’s population (38,230 residents) is classified as food insecure. Childhood food insecurity refers to the percentage of children under 18 living in households that experience limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods at some point during the year.
Each Thursday, Foglia leads a group of church parishioners, Lions Club and SUNY Bridges participants, and community volunteers, who pack 81 backpacks that provide six weekend meals to children in the program. Each school year, No Kid Hungry delivers more than 2,400 backpacks to the four Middletown Elementary schools. Foglia has been the Coordinator of the “No Kid Hungry” program for eight years. She is also an active member of Lions Club International and has been selected as the New Lion of the Year (2004), Lion of the Year (2009) and a Knight of the Blind.
In addition, Foglia serves as the Program Chair of Screening Eyes Early Program, which provides free vision screening to decrease childhood blindness.
“The need in Middletown is there and we are certainly making a difference in the lives of our youngsters,” Foglia said. “I work with the finest group of social workers, teachers and office staff in our schools. Our Middletown community has been extremely generous with food donations and we are grateful to have the support of County Executive Neuhaus and his recognition of the “No Kid Hungry” program and our children.”
Neuhaus introduced his Citizen of the Month Award, which acknowledges outstanding Orange County residents, in January of 2017. To nominate someone for the Citizen of the Month Award, please email ceoffice@orangecountygov.com or mail a letter to “Citizen of the Month” at 255-275 Main Street Goshen, N.Y. 10924. Be sure to include the nominee’s name, hometown, a list of their accomplishments, why you are nominating them and any other pertinent information. Nominees must be from Orange County.
For more information, contact Justin Rodriguez, Assistant to the County Executive for Communications and Media Relations at 845.291.3255 or jrodriguez@orangecountygov.com.
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