Free Community Resources

Please note, this page is a work in progress, but we are eager to share these resources and guides with you!
Thank you to Free Food Fridge Albany and Schenectady Menstrual Health Coalition

Free Food Fridge

YWCA NorthEastern NY’s Free Food Fridge (FFF) is now open to all at 44 Washington Ave. The Free Food Fridge will be regularly filled with fresh produce, salads, milk, cheese, and other perishable items available to anyone in need! The FFF is designed to help combat food insecurity and food accessibility in our community. Enough food is produced around the globe to feed every human, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, yet hundreds of millions go hungry every day.* 

If you are interested in making a contribution to the Free Food Fridge, please email Jammella Anderson at [email protected] or follow the link below for more information. Please no unapproved donations.

If you would like to make a donation to the local Period Pantries, please contact Brynn Watkins at [email protected] or Claire Jennings at [email protected]

Period Pantry

YWCA NorthEastern NY’s Period Pantry is also open at 44 Washington Ave. These pantries are small, free, weather-protected containers that house a multitude of menstrual hygiene products. This pantry is fully stocked with various sized pads, pantyliners, tampons, diva cups, and more. The Schenectady Menstrual Health Coalition (SMHC) works to promote the health and well-being of individuals who menstruate in our area. SMHC works to increase period equity by bringing period products directly into under-resourced communities through a network of established and trusted community-based organizations.

 

PATTY’S PLACE

Patty’s Place is an initiative that provides at-risk women (trans-inclusive) with the hygiene supplies and resources necessary to maintain a safe and healthy lifestyle. “At-risk” women include sex workers, elderly women, and disabled women. Patty’s Place does not approach these women from a place of shame or judgment; its purpose is to make the lives of these women healthier and safer.

Initially, Patty’s Place only offered a place to bathe, shower, and sleep (no questions asked) to women. Now, it has expanded and also offers hygiene and contraceptive products. Individuals get to take what they need, with no restrictions.

For more information about Patty’s Place, please click here to email Kathy Gorman-Coombs.

Patty’s Place runs entirely on donations. If you want to make a donation to Patty’s Place, please click here to email Danielle Schimpf to schedule a drop-off time.

Items that would benefit Patty’s Place include:

  • Condoms
  • Toothpaste
  • Toothbrushes
  • Deodorant
  • Razors
  • Toothpicks
  • Band-aids
  • Underwear (NEW, all sizes)
  • Bras (all sizes)
  • Pads/tampons
  • Shampoo/conditioner (travel size preferably)
  • Lotion (travel size preferably)
  • Socks
  • Anti-bacterial wipes
  • Toilet paper
  • Tissue paper
  • Laundry detergent
  • Q-tips
Racial & Social Justice Resources & Education
Healthy Relationships Resources & Education

Use these resources to learn more about healthy relationships and the signs of unhealthy relationships. 

10 Signs of a Healthy Relationship

  • Comfortable pace
  • Trust
  • Honesty
  • Independence
  • Respect
  • Equality
  • Kindness
  • Fun
  • Healthy Conflict
  • Taking responsibility

10 Signs of an Unhealthy Relationship

  • Intensity
  • Possessiveness
  • Manipulation
  • Isolation
  • Sabotage
  • Belittling
  • Guilting
  • Volatility
  • Betrayal
  • Deflecting responsibility

The Relationship Spectrum

Tips for Breaking Up Safely

Resources from Love is Respect

Is your relationship healthy? Take the quiz

Personal Safety

Use these resources to learn more about personal safety and ways to keep yourself safe.

  • Create a Safety Plan | The National Domestic Violence Hotline (thehotline.org)
  • Creating Safety at Home
    • Home is an important sanctuary for anyone, whether you’re in a relationship, single, or not even looking. It’s a space to make your own where you feel free to express yourself, comfortable decompressing, and most of all, safe and in control. No matter what is going on, safety at home is important.

      If you’re experiencing dating abuse, home can be more important than ever as a place to escape and be alone while you plan your next steps. Unfortunately, it can also be a site of enormous fear and stress if you’re uncomfortable or don’t feel safe.

      While there’s no single solution to reaching safety at home, there are many useful resources available to support you as you work on a safety plan, reduce potential risks around your house, and make the place you live a safer place to love.*

  • Safety at School
    • While you’re likely going to school for a formal education, it’s no secret that a lot more happens there than just classroom learning. Being at school provides you with an opportunity to engage with others with greater independence than you may have at home and a chance to explore new relationships and interests.

      Given these opportunities, it’s important to remember that the systems you depend on for support may not be the same in different settings, especially if you’re attending school far away from home.

      Take time to identify ways to stay safe at school and contact love is respect 24/7 to discuss campus safety with one of our advocates.*

  • Safety Online
    • Online safety while dating | Personal safety | love is respectMost of us spend a lot of time online. Pretty much everything we do can now be done on the Internet, including accessing information, keeping in touch with others, and getting help when we need it. Unfortunately, such frequent use (and the ways in which information is collected every time we go online) means partners who are abusive have more ways than ever to access your information and monitor your movements and behaviors.

      Remember:

      • Your computer and cell phone use can be monitored without you knowing it.
      • Your history can never be completely erased from a computer or device, even if you browse in “private” or “incognito” mode.
      • Email can be intercepted like physical mail.
      • Global Positioning System (GPS) trackers can be placed in your car or on items like your purse or cell phone.
      • love is respect advocates are available 24/7 to help you identify ways to take extra precautions when using technology.*
BIPOC & Gender Affirming Counselors in the Capital Region
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