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GLENS FALLS

CAN program provides more than food

Eating healthy is a big thing for Patti Elmen of Glens Falls. After all, she is a nutritionist. 

A member of the Queensbury United Methodist Church, Mrs. Elmen would see food given to food banks and distributed to the needy and think something more needed to be done.

"It just kept resonating with me," she said. "Instead of just feeding people, why not teach them a lesson, too, on how to make healthier choices for less money?"

That thought led to the Communities About Nutrition (CAN) program. Based in Glens Falls, the CAN Program has worked to feed hundreds of families a month. 

However, these meals are not like those at a traditional food pantry: A typical bag of food from the CAN program includes a number of different non-perishable 
ingredients, along with a specific recipe for a meal. Each meal costs less than $5 and feeds at least a family of four.

Growing concern
When the program began in 2006, Mrs. Elmen said she delivered approximately 30 bags per month. As CAN grew - it became a non-profit organization in May 2008 - its client base did, as well. Now, Mrs. Elmen said she delivers about 200 bags every month.

"This is people who are struggling giving to people who are struggling," she said. "It's a great cause."

Mrs. Elmen has received help from across Warren County. Methodist, Presbyterian and Catholic churches - including St. Mary's in Glens Falls and Our Lady of the Annunciation in Queensbury - all contribute, as do Community Action programs and the Salvation Army. Whether it be providing recipes or simply donating to CAN, each organization works to do its part.

"We're trying to broaden this to other area churches," Rev. Joseph Busch of Annunciation parish told The Evangelist. "We're trying to do service that would be direct aid to the poor."

Father Busch pointed out that some gifts to food pantries, though generous, may not be as helpful as people think.

"What's typical is [for] people [to] just bring in odd food," he said. "With this [CAN] program, instead of a box of stale Cheerios, you get a whole meal for a family of four. We're trying to educate people on food and how to be economical about it."

Some of the recipes include a tuna noodle casserole or a macaroni dish. In November, the program collected 177 turkeys in a fundraiser and sent them out to families for a Thanksgiving dinner; at Christmas, 120 families were given a $10 meal ticket to spend on their Christmas meal.

Robin Mattes, secretary at St. Mary's in Glens Falls, is one of many helpers in the program. 

Nutrition need
"There's a great need for it," she said. "It's a great program and I'm passionately thankful [to] Patti Elmen for putting it together, and [to] Father Busch and everyone involved with it."

Mrs. Elmen hopes the program also teaches lessons in cooking.

"The emphasis is definitely more on the actual recipes than the food," she said. "We give you ideas and teach you how to make a healthy meal for you and your family."

Mrs. Elmen stated that 100 percent of donations go to feeding people. She credited the residents of Warren County for their help in keeping the CAN program going.

"The big thing besides the empowerment is community," she explained. "We purposely stayed in Warren County, but I would be more than happy to give any bit of information to anybody in any other county. It's such a great program."

(06/11/09) [[In-content Ad]]

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