CORPORATE:  Binghamton Giant Markets, Inc. – Binghamton Giant Markets, Inc. has been a supporting partner with CHOW the entire thirty years CHOW has been serving the hungry in Broome County.  Donations of food from the Giant Markets occur multiple times each week.  CHOW barrels, where people can drop off food donations, are placed in each of the stores.  The “Round Up For CHOW” program, where customers can round up to the nearest dollar, the extra money going into an account for CHOW, helps provide meat, fresh fruit, bread, eggs, and milk to those using the pantries through coupons redeemable at any Giant Market.  Twice a year, in the spring and again in the fall, volunteers collect money and food for three days at each store in the CHOW Giant Promotion. Because Binghamton Giant Markets, Inc. has been a constant partner with CHOW for thirty years it is our Thirtieth Anniversary Corporate Humanitarian Award recipient.

INDIVIDUAL: Lou & Eleanor Perman – For over 15 years Lou and Eleanor Perman have been a constant presence in the CHOW warehouse.  Whether they are sorting food, picking up donations, sorting empty bottles by the hundreds for the deposit, or any of the other tasks they do, you can find Lou and Eleanor at CHOW several days a week.  For the many hours each week they are volunteering at CHOW and for their consistent presence for many years, Lou and Eleanor Perman are recipients of CHOW’s Thirtieth Anniversary Humanitarian Award.

INDIVIDUAL: Theresa Ferro – Theresa Ferro has been a volunteer for St. Cyril’s CHOW pantry for over 20 years and the pantry coordinator for fifteen years.  St. Cyril’s pantry, on Clinton Street in Binghamton, is one of the busiest pantries in the CHOW system.  Theresa has tirelessly work to serve the people who come to St. Cyril’s CHOW pantry with good cheer and sincere compassion.  For her two decades of service helping CHOW to stop hunger, Theresa Ferro is a recipient of CHOW’s Thirtieth Anniversary Humanitarian Award.

PANTRY: Boulevard United Methodist Church Pantry – Boulevard United Methodist Church CHOW Pantry, on Grand Boulevard in Binghamton, is ideally located to serve many hungry people from the West Side of Binghamton.  Because of its location, Boulevard UMC Pantry gets a very high number of referrals for food.  On some days the pantry is feeding twice as many people as any other pantry.  The volunteers at the Boulevard UMC Pantry are always friendly and never give the CHOW office a limit on the number of people they can serve.  They have bailed out the referral office several times this past spring as the needs increased and we had many more people to feed than expected.  Because they say no to no one and serve our neighbors in need of food with generous smiles, Boulevard United Methodist Church Pantry is the recipient of CHOW’s Thirtieth Anniversary Pantry Humanitarian Award.

It's not too early to think spring! Get your seed packets ready to Plant A Row. When you're planting your garden this year, think of the hungry and plant an extra row! Volunteers needed to serve on a committee, help with publicity, act in an advisory capacity, start a group garden at their workplace, school or place of worship, help others start a garden or work in any other way to encourage people to plant extra crops in a garden to donate to CHOW to help feed the hungry.

Drop-off points for your clean, fresh produce: Broome County Council of Churches, CHOW Warehouse, 3 Otseningo Street, Binghamton, NY 13903 from 9 - 3 M - F

Hillside Garden Center (722-4208), 1449 Front Street, Binghamton from 9 - 6 M - F and 9 - 5:30 on Saturday

Bill's Garden Center (785-4184), Corner of Front & Main Streets, Vestal from 9 - 5 Monday - Saturday

CHOW will distribute that produce to pantries, soup kitchens and agencies providing meals to the needy, including Catholic Charities, Salvation Army, the VOA...over 50 local groups, who in turn distribute food to the hungry free of charge.

Last year, gardeners raised over ONE TON of fresh fruits and vegetables for CHOW/Broome Bounty. 100% of the food dropped off was used. This year's growing season promises an even bigger potential yield. Please remember the needy as you plant.

For more information, call or write:
CHOW, 3 Otseningo Street, Binghamton, NY 13903 - 724-9130.