Monticello Real Estate is taking time to give back to the community by volunteering at a different organization every month. The team kicked off the year by helping out at the Homeless and Travelers Aid Society (HATAS) in Albany.

The mission of HATAS is to provide immediate relief and long term solutions for the most vulnerable members of our community by preventing, combating, and reducing homelessness within the Capital Region.

HATAS was formed in 1927 with the mission to end homelessness within Albany County and the Capital Region. They provide relief by meeting the immediate need for shelter, food and clothing, in addition to addressing the long-term need for affordable housing and sustainable employment. HATAS works in concert with our partners in service to eliminate redundancies and to increase the quality and variety of services available within the Capital Region.

Team Monticello worked with HATAS for an afternoon and we packed bags for their Feed and Read program, which provides weekend food bags every Friday throughout the school year to 608 students in all 16 Albany City School District elementary and middle schools. Participating students are selected by the individual schools, and typically take part in the free breakfast and lunch programs. It is likely that for many students, the Friday food bags are the only food they will have on the weekends.

The food is supplied by the Capital Region Food Bank on a discount basis, with free bread and fruit, as well as a biweekly gift card for a Stewart’s gallon of milk and a dozen eggs. In addition, through a partner non-profit group, each student receives a book to build their own home library.

HATAS depends on the weekly packing teams, and are always looking for volunteers on Wednesday or Thursday afternoons or evenings.  They aim to pack 300 bags each session, which can take from an hour and a half to two hours, depending on the number of volunteers.

The video below is a short snippet of our afternoon at HATAS.

For more information on how you can volunteer, click here.