Call Sheilah

Last month my client at the legislature asked me to ship tshirts back to the supplier.

We pulled 8 cartons out of their basement, counted the shirts, packed them according to size, and schlepped them to FEDEX.

We loved this job because it was the last and final task for BECAUSE the governor just signed the Medical Aid In Dyning Act in NYS. A 10.75 Years long campaign of tireless activism lead by the dedicated and relentless staff and volunteers, all impacted by suffering and prolonged agony of no options except suffering.

For more than a decade, the campaign to pass the Medical Aid in Dying Act in New York went on. The staff worked with thousands of New Yorkers who opened their homes, their hearts, and their final months to this movement which culminated with the NYS Legislature and Governor finally listening to families navigating the harsh and daunting realities of terminal illness.

This law is about compassion. It is about love. It is about the freedom to make deeply personal decisions about our own care.

Congratulations to all. Cannot wait to see where you land next!

It’s no secret that people are suffering. Sometimes it hits our community, some times it’s in our homes and sometimes it’s actually ourselves.

I am not one to compare, nor am I one to disclose on social media my own personal circumstances, which have me blessed at least for today. Because I have what I need, like so many, I constantly ask, “what can I do to help?”

In the short term, for me that question has a simple answer. What can I do about people who don’t have enough to eat? The answer is a partial but useful solution:

I can share what I have while I can. I can also ask and organize others to do that too. Call Sheilah! does that often and well, with so many of the things our generous clients donate and share.

Recently, Call Sheilah! did this specifically with food and funds to address, in a small way, the food scarcity horrors that so many of our neighbors are experiencing. I asked a few select and generous clients to assist with our support for a local institution. Sheridan Prep Academy, an Albany Public School, has its own food pantry for their families living in harm’s way. We dropped off supplies
and funds. (Funds are actually more valuable for food banks because they are able to buy $15 worth of supplies for $5)

Of course, food pantries are a short term solution to a global, systemic problem that comes from capitalism, resource hoarding, downright cruelty, and deliberate withholding of basic necessities--even though there are more than enough
resources to feed everyone ON THE PLANET. Still, there are people who are hungry, right here at home, not by chance, but on purpose.

While I do my political organizing work to address the systemic issues, I wanted to do something tangible right now. This week, we dropped off culturally specific food for Sheridan Prep’s pantry. I shopped at three different markets that provide culturally specific staples and comfort foods--not just items that are familiar to
the dominant culture, but food from Latin Bodegas and Halal Markets on Central Avenue. Everyone deserves to eat, and everyone deserves choices that are familiar and comforting in some small way. Not everyone wants to nor should they be on a constant diet of tuna fish, canned soup and boxed macaroni and cheese.

I share this post not for accolades but with hopes to inspire others to be thoughtful and generous and deliberate not just during this season, but all the
time.

People are starving and struggling and while being generous at Christmas time should be a real thing, being generous, thoughtful and deliberate throughout the year, has and is more than ever, a massive need.

“A new national report shows food insecurity is growing across the Capital Region, with a sharp increase among children. According to Feeding America’s latest Map the Meal Gap study, more than 355,000 people in the Regional Food Bank’s 23-county service area—roughly 12.2% of the population—struggled to access enough food in 2023. For children, the rate is even higher, at 15.4%.”

(Reported by WNYT in May 2025 - new numbers will be available soon, but early reporting shows an increase in this number)

If other businesses and individuals continue to take actions like this frequently, not just in November and December, we will have an impact on the communities now. If we all work to dismantle a system that only values wealth, we may be able to see our way through the current horrors and lay the groundwork for a healthy, justice filled community in the future.

If you have questions or want my assistance in organizing your own action, you know what to do. It’s in the name: Call Sheilah!

Read more on substack: https://callsheilah2015.substack.com/p/culturally-specific-food-for-regional