Haverstraw, NY – Catholic Charities Community Services of Rockland will host the annual Blessing of the Soil, with Guest of Honor His Eminence Archbishop Timothy Cardinal Dolan in attendance, on Saturday, May 4th at Catholic Charities in Haverstraw at 78 Hudson Avenue, from noon until 1:00 pm. The Archbishop will bless the soil and there will be fun activities for the children and refreshments. The theme is “From Seed to Supper” and attendees will hear how Catholic Charities is able to provide so much fresh produce to those in need.

CCCSR has hosted this community event since 2011 after creating a large garden on the side lawn of their location in Haverstraw where staff and volunteers oversee the growing of fresh vegetables for families and individuals who access the food pantry. It is also home to one of the only greenhouses on the site of a food pantry in the northeast.

  Catholic Charities Community Services of Rockland, The Warm Heart of Rockland, provides services to people of all ages, from every race and ethnic group from all over the County. The organization’s focus is to provide life necessities, including food, shelter, and other emergency assistance to those in need. The compassionate and professional staff speak English, Spanish, French and Creole, and assist people of all ages, races and religions in Rockland County. CCCSR also runs the Warming Center for Rockland County during the colder months. More information can be found at www.ccsrockland.org or by calling (845) 942-5791.

Rockland Community College’s Hospitality and Culinary Arts Center introduced the 2024 Food Enthusiast Program, a series of cooking lessons available to food lovers throughout the county. The popular program was recognized as the “Best Cooking Class” in Hudson Valley Magazine’s 2022 Best of Hudson Valley competition, while Chef’s Pencil, an international food magazine, ranked RCC’s Culinary Arts program sixth in their top ten programs in New York.

As a participant of the “Delightful Dough” class upon arrival they had a nice spread of cheese, crackers, veggies and finger sandwiches for the participants to enjoy. As for the baking everything was pre measured and ready to prepare for baking. All we had to do was mix the items and follow “Chef Catie’s” instructions. In our class we made carrot cake scones with cream cheese frosting and strawberry shortcake biscuits. You are able to bring home what you make. I highly recommend this program. By the way you can BYOB 🙂