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Erin’s Angels Makes Sure No Kid Goes Home Hungry in CNY Erin's Angels

By Gabrielle Riles

Gabrielle Riles: Erin’s Angel’s food pantry is located inside of Michael A. Maroun Elementary School. They provide kids that receive free and reduced lunch with bags of food to take home each weekend. The director says that this is needed in schools because one in every four kids in Oswego County lives with hunger.

Sheila Dion: “A third-grade teacher said she had a little girl in her classroom who brought half of her lunch back from the lunchroom and she said ‘there’s still time and you can sit down and finish your lunch’ and
the little girl said ‘no I’m purposely only eating half of my lunch I’m bringing the rest home, but I know tomorrow I’m getting my bag of food.'”

Riles: Social workers at the school that identify those kids that are in need. They then go to Erin’s Angels and tell them how many bags are needed for each classroom. Volunteers then pack two items for breakfast, lunch, and dinner so that kids will have food for the weekend. When the budget cuts come into effect Erin’s Angels plans to increase fundraising so that no child goes home without food.

Dion: “Right now, we’re not turning any kids away and my hope is that we will never have to.”

Riles: Each month Erin’s Angels distribute about $750 worth of food to students each month. Now, the average household of four doesn’t receive that amount in SNAP benefits.

Riles: According to the New York State Department of Temporary and Disability Assistance, the maximum amount a family of four can receive in food stamps is six hundred and forty-six dollars per month. The SNAP Outreach Officer at the Central New York Food Bank says that that amount doesn’t last long.

Amalia Swan: “They last between two-point three weeks on an average SNAP household … it’s not enough … it’s not enough”)

Riles: Although it hasn’t been said if the monthly food allowance will be decreased or taken away, Swan says it will be thousands of Central New York households that it will affect. (

Swan: “Onondaga County alone has 3,661 households that will be affected.”

Riles: And as far as Oswego County

Swan: “at least 1,500 households and for a small rural community, that’s a lot of people.”

Riles: From Phoenix, Gabrielle Riles, N-C-C news.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News)– Erin’s Angels is a nonprofit organization that gives weekend food assistance to kids who receive free or reduced lunch at school. Their food pantry is located inside of Michael A. Maroun Elementary school in Oswego County.

Social workers at the school communicate with Erin’s Angels to let them know how many students in each class are in need of food for the weekend.

“So say that Mrs. Smith has ten kids that need it… we package up ten bags and put it in a bin for her and then she puts it in their bag quietly. We don’t know names, everything is anonymous, and it just goes to those kids who need it,” said Sheila Dion, the founder of Erin’s Angels.

According to Dion, those students that receive subsidized lunch are those whose families rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

“We service about on average about 75 kids every weekend. So every weekend we need 75 boxes of mac and cheese, 75 cans of soup, 75 packets of oatmeal, 75 granola bars and fruit snacks because it’s breakfast, lunch, and dinner for both days and two snacks,” said Dion.

The Trump administration budget proposal is planning to make cuts to SNAP in April. These cuts will affect those who are unemployed and those who work less than 20 hours per week.

With the cuts to SNAP coming soon, Dion believes that there will be an even bigger need for kids to have food when they go home daily and not just for the weekend.

“We certainly will ramp up our fundraising and be able to help them as well,” said Dion.

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