People To People, Inc., Rockland County’s largest food pantry, is seeing a change of leadership.
Diane Serratore, the current CEO, is retiring at the end of June. She has led the organization for 18 years. The lifetime Nyacker before that held key positions with the Girl Scouts, United Way and March of Dimes.
Sharon Mellis, the agency’s director of client and volunteer services, takes over as CEO on July 1. She will be just the third leader of an organization that has been doing the work in Rockland for four decades.
Mellis said hunger relief was “deeply personal work.” She spent part of her childhood in Southeast Asia in the 1980s when gaping poverty could be seen on city streets.
“For the past five years working here, I see daily the families, people with disabilities, seniors who need our help,” Mellis said. “We are making a tangible difference in the lives of our neighbors.”
Dignity and discretion at People to People
People to People incorporated in 1989 to provide assistance with food and basic needs for low-income families, seniors, children, people with disabilities, veterans and others.
The nonprofit agency provides emergency food relief and regular food pantry distributions for families in need, plus other programs to support Rockland residents. The agency’s mantra has been that food is a “human right” and community partners help provide families support with dignity and discretion.
The need continues to grow. Right now, about 5,000 people rely on People to People monthly. Some 2,000 are children and about 800 are seniors.
People to People is the third largest purchaser of food from the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, which works with 1,000 partner agencies and programs throughout 23 counties from Albany to Rockland.
With recent changes to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program known as SNAP, along with the cost-of-living continuing to climb in the Lower Hudson Valley, Serratore and Mellis said they expect to see more people seeking help.
Economic challenges may drive people to the doors of People to People, Mellis said, but when the crisis ends, “we never go back to baseline.”
Serratorre said that the agency has weathered plenty of challenges, “including the Great Recession, Hurricane Sandy and COVID but we never failed to fulfill our commitment to put food on the tables of our neighbors in need.”
Ready for whatever comes next
As for the next wave of what comes? “I have complete confidence in Sharon’s ability to take on all challenges with determination and dedication,” Serratore said.
Sabrina HoSang Jordan, chair of the Board of People to People, said Mellis’ appointment provided continuity and momentum.
“Sharon knows the organization from the inside, understands the needs of the neighbors we serve,” said HoSang Jordan, who is CEO of Caribbean Food Delights in Tappan. Mellis, she said, “shares the values of dignity, compassion, and service that have guided our work for decades.”
Serratore hired Mellis in 2021 as volunteer coordinator. In 2024, Mellis was promoted to director of client and volunteer services.
“I just knew that Sharon’s compassion for and commitment to helping others would bring so much to the People to People table,” Serratore said. “And I was right!”
Nancy Cutler covers People & Policy. Reach her at ncutler@lohud.com; follow her on X, Bluesky and Instagram at @nancyrockland.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: People to People CEO to retire. Meet Rockland food pantry’s new leader
Reporting by Nancy Cutler, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
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By Nancy Cutler, Rockland/Westchester Journal News | USA TODAY Network
