Taking a Look at our Community's Volunteers at People to People

Think globally, act locally. It's an often heard phrase and possibly even a cliché, but what does it really mean? For many of us, it means getting involved in a local cause, charity, or community service group.  Taken in aggregate, the collective actions of all us as individuals can really make a positive impact on the world around us.

Recently, Patch stopped by the office of local charity, People to People. Founded in 1973, People to People is dedicated to improving the lives of those in Rockland who have fallen upon hard times. A member of the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley and a Feeding America partner, People to People serves a critical mission in our community, especially in these times of economic hardship, by providing food for low-income families and seniors who are having a difficult time meeting their basic nutritional needs. People to People is in fact Rockland's largest food pantry and fed 38,6321 Rockland residents in 2009, a significant increase from previous years.

People to People is so much more than a food pantry. They also provide school supplies to children from low-income families, clothing to those who need it, bagged lunches to day laborers, and seasonal items, including toys, which enable so many needy families in our area to celebrate cherished holidays with dignity.

It is the volunteers at People to People who make so much of this possible. But who are these individuals who give so much of themselves in order to ensure that others do not need to go without? This article is the first of a three-part series on People to People's selfless volunteers. Today, Patch profiled Dale McGovern.

As I begin to interview her, McGovern stands next to a shelf full of school supplies and notes, "The whole month of August we've been giving out backpacks."

The 71-year-old grandmother from Pearl River, whose husband was a policeman, began her work with People to People four years ago. Formerly, she had been employed part-time in the Pearl River School District in the preschool program, after which she worked at a private preschool in Suffern. When that school began to experience cutbacks, McGovern, with free time now available to her, became involved with the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, which led her to People to People.

"That's how it all started," she said.

McGovern volunteers at People to People almost every day. Her work changes with the seasons and she rotates as the chairperson for school supplies, Christmas related items, infant clothes, and house wares.  

A Rockland native, she grew up in Nyack and cares deeply about the community she has seen change and growth over the years, especially after the opening of the Tappan Zee Bridge. McGovern cites her colleagues, keeping busy as a retiree, having a sense of purpose, and giving back to the community as her favorite parts of volunteering.

"We are all here helping people," she says. "We are getting a lot more clients because people are losing their jobs. They are embarrassed because they are accustomed to taking care of themselves."

Thanks to the efforts of Dale McGovern and her colleagues, those in need will have an easier time caring for themselves and their loved ones. Check in next Saturday for the second profile in this three-part series.