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ALBANY — Foe Cathy Revell, the director of the local Helping Hands Ending Hunger nonprofit, the numbers are staggering, humbling even.

The organization, which recruits students and volunteers to collect and pack unused and unopened foods in the lunchrooms of the county’s public schools for kids who might not receive a nutritious evening meal to take home, held its third food giveaway outside the school system for the families of students in the system. With the coronavirus pandemic forcing change in the way the Helping Hands program is managed and relying heavily on a donation from Xylem Watermark, the nonprofit has for the past three months been holding food giveaways for the families of children in the school system at the downtown Hope Center on Pine Avenue.

This week’s giveaway impacted 1,332 students and 1,132 adults in 609 local families

“The same as the last giveaway, we had people waiting in line at 3:15 this morning,” Revell said. “And this one was the best we’ve ever had. Everyone was so thankful for the blanket giveaway by Albany Bank and Trust; that’s one of the things that made it special for the recipients. We actually had to turn a few people away because we ran out of supplies.

“I think the response to the giveaway shows that the need is still there in our community.”

AB&T Vice President of Branch Banking and Brand Execution Brad McEwen had said the bank looks for opportunities to help others in the community.

“As a truly local bank that prides itself on its understanding of the Albany area and the issues it faces on a daily basis, we’re keenly aware of the economic challenges facing many of our residents and the impact those challenges have on a disproportionate number of the community’s children,” McEwen said. “To know that so many of our young boys and girls might not have access to decent food outside of their school’s meal program is both sobering and frightening. Since the program’s launch in Dougherty County, AB&T has supported Helping Hands both financially and by providing volunteers to go to area schools to pack and distribute meal bags, and that has been an incredibly rewarding experience.

“While we’re committed to continuing our support of the Helping Hands food initiative, we’re pleased to go a step further to address another important need as we transition into the colder months of the year. For many of the families benefitted by Helping Hands, food insecurity is only one of their challenges. Now is the time to provide whatever warmth and comfort (with the blanket giveaway) we can to those who need it.”

Revell said student volunteers from Deerfield-Windsor School and other community volunteers get valuable lessons by directly impacting the lives of others perhaps less fortunate.

“This was special for the kids at Deerfield because, while they’ve worked (to collect food for the giveaway) in the schools, this impacted them deeply as they saw people blessed by the food,” she said. “This was a blessing for everyone involved: the students, the recipients and even the adult volunteers from Kappa Alpha Psi (fraternity), the bank, Constantine and other agencies.”

Revell had special praise for volunteer Catherine Whitfield, who she says has been a vital part of the local Helping Hands program.

“When we first signed up at Morningside Elementary back in 2018, Catherine came to me and said she wanted to be a part of the program,” Revell said. “She’s helps me tremendously and has been a vital part of everything we do.”

Helping Hands Ending Hunger will hold its Christmas food giveaway on Dec. 15 at the same location.

“At this one, we’re going to include some snacks you don’t have to cook — granola bars, cereal, stuff like that — for kids,” Revell said. “The kids at Deerfield-Windsor’s Lower School have already begun to collect the snacks for that giveaway.”

Special Photos: Brad McEwenSpecial Photo: Brad McEwen