Lorna Patterson is the first one to greet people as they visit The Campaign Against Hunger’s Bedford-Stuyvesant food pantry.

“I think being friendly is that you kind of set the tone for the day,” she said.

What You Need To Know

  • Lorna Patterson helps distribute produce at The Campaign Against Hunger's Bedford-Stuyvesant pantry

  • The Bed-Stuy resident started volunteering when she saw the need for affordable food in her community

  • Patterson has spends full days helping out in the pantry several times a week

Patterson is a retired schoolteacher from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. She moved to Brooklyn to be closer to her daughter.

She started helping out at The Campaign after seeing the lines of hungry people in her neighborhood in 2023.

“It’s a community approach where you care for the individuals who are out there, who are not able to get the food that they really need because of the high cost of living,” Patterson said.

Nineteen months later, Patterson is there four or five days a week. She has volunteered more than 1,600 hours at The Campaign.

“It’s always good to give back,” Patterson said. “Every time you work, you get a sense of satisfaction that you are doing something which is worthwhile.”

The Campaign serves more than 250 families a day out of its Bed-Stuy location. Patterson is usually on produce duty.

“Eating healthy makes the body stronger,” she said. “You’re able to go out there and do your everyday work.”

“Oftentimes, there’s a lot of stigma around food access,” said Racquel Peters, the chief development officer for The Campaign Against Hunger. “And she does that desensitizing. You come in, she’s warm. She’s welcoming.”

“You want to feel comfortable and at ease, okay?” Patterson said. “So, like, greeting them, even though they may have some little things that…seem to be bothering them. [They] come in here and I’ll just probably take it away from them.”

For sharing food and a smile with her neighbors, Lorna Patterson is our New Yorker of the Week.