Phoenix, N.Y. – Last summer, a 27-year-old mom in Oswego County faced a tough choice: whether to pay a bill or buy groceries. Brittney Benedict and her family are right above the income level for food assistance.
A Phoenix nonprofit helped fill that gap. At the end of the week, Benedict knew that bags of food would arrive at their home from Erin’s Angels.
When her two kids saw the bags with their names on them, their faces lit up, Benedict said.
Erin’s Angels has been helping families like Benedict’s for eight years. The founder and executive director, Sheila Dion, is still trying to expand the organization’s reach.
Already, Erin’s Angels steadily feeds about 100 Phoenix schoolchildren each week, sending their backpacks home full of cereals, macaroni and cheese cups, and soup cans.
The organization’s namesake is Erin Maxwell, a Michael A. Maroun Elementary School student who died of abuse and neglect at 11 years old in 2008. Erin often came to school hungry. Dion worked in the cafeteria shortly after she died.
“I look up to Erin every now and then and say, ‘Come on girl, let’s do this,’” Dion said.
Two years ago, she opened a storefront, where she hosts monthly giveaways for families in the area. People can pick up shelf-stable foods, of course. But they can also grab other necessities like cleaning supplies, contact solution and body wash.
That summer, Dion also started the meal delivery program to help families like Benedict’s.
This month, she received $2,500 to donate to other programs that fill backpacks in Oswego County. She got the money through a grant from the Oswego County Community Foundation.
But her longtime goal remains: Dion wants to grow the group’s endowment so that it can be self-sufficient and even be the source of grants throughout the county to fight hunger. Her goal: $1 million.
Erin’s Angels is hosting an open house from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sept. 18 at their office, 219 County Route 57. On the website, you can donate to the endowment fund or directly to Erin’s Angels, which will help fill more kids’ backpacks. Dion asks for $11 monthly donations in honor of Erin.