Faith in the Public Square

The Labor-Religion Coalition of New York State will hold its Virtual Moral Fusion Leadership Awards on November 17 to “honor leaders who were on the front lines of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, meeting critical needs in our communities and fighting for justice, equity, and protection for workers.”     The recipients this year are:   Mark Emanatian (Capital District Area Labor Federation) and Sister Betsy VanDeusen (Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany), who partnered with the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York to coordinate hundreds of drive-through mass food distributions throughout the Capital Region during the pandemic.   Workers at Pindar Vineyards (RWDSU/UFCW Local 338), who this year became the first group of farmworkers in the state to unionize under the 2019 Farm Laborers Fair Labor Practices Act.   Albany Medical Center Nurses (NYSNA), who won a fair first contract that offers them a stronger voice in patient care, as well as...

Catholic Charities has released its food distribution schedule for the month of April which can be  downloaded here  or found below. Please note the varying start times for all April dates.    Volunteers are needed  to assist in the packaging and distribution of food. Volunteers are asked to arrive at 8:15 am for morning distributions. These food distributions, or “drive-thru pantries,” are a part of Catholic Charities’ mobile outreach initiative, CC MOVE, an effort to provide supplemental food in areas with limited access to services at time when many are struggling. Food items provided by the Regional Food Bank will be pre-packaged by volunteers from partnering organizations. Distributions are open to the public and no pre-registration is required. There will be two distribution lines: a drive-through line and a walk-in line. Due to traffic concerns, guests are asked to not to arrive prior to the start time. April 1  Italian Community Center ,   1450...