About Us

Just Released: A Report to the Community

We are so proud to release our most recent Report to the Community showing the incredible impact that our organization, in conjunction with the countless volunteers has achieved over the past year. Every dollar that is entrusted to us by donors is stretched far and wide to support the health and wellbeing of the children and their families in Sullivan County. Thank you for your support.

Report to the Community
Children harvest potatoes in an outdoor farm setting, with trees and a house visible in the background.

We picture a day when hunger and food insecurity cease to exist. When our neighbors and their children do not have nights when they go to bed hungry.

Through all of our programs, we hope to change the trajectory of our children's lives by inspiring them to make healthy food choices. We teach young people the difference between real and processed food. We feed our neighbors. We partner with schools and like-minded organizations to collect and distribute healthy food to those who need it most.

Understanding Our Community Challenge

Close-up of a white dry cleaner or laundry machine with an orange flyer attached. The flyer promotes a nonprofit organization called 'a simple byte' that provides neighbors feeding neighbors.

Food insecurity is not unique to Sullivan County, but it is complicated by our rural setting.

Group of people standing in a field holding freshly harvested carrots, with baskets on the ground and a backdrop of autumn trees and a clear blue sky.
Infographic with statistics on poverty and food insecurity. Shows 17% below poverty line, 18.3% child food insecurity rate, and 1 in 5 children lacking enough to eat in Sullivan County.

Sullivan County ranks 57 out of 62 counties in New York statewide health rankings, according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation County Health Rankings & Roadmap. And of the nearly 80,000 residents of the county, 24% of the children live in poverty and suffer from food insecurity. According to our founders, Sims & Kirsten Foster of Foster Supply Hospitality, this was unacceptable in their community and they decided that they needed to act. A Single Bite was started in 2019 and has grown significantly since then.

Printed brochures and flyers about a nutrition program called Veg-Out, featuring photos of people cooking, eating, and outdoors, with colorful text and images of vegetables.
Children's toy food on a checkered tablecloth at an outdoor gathering, including slices of pizza, fruits, vegetables, and desserts.
Group of children sitting at long table in a brightly lit room during a meal or gathering.
Report to the Community

What started in Sullivan County has become a model for how communities can come together around real food, nutrition education, and local partnerships.

We believe this approach can make a difference far beyond our own backyard. If you're interested in bringing A Single Bite to your community, we'd love to start the conversation.

Contact Us

Where it All Started

A large indoor dining room filled with children and teenagers sitting at long tables enjoying a meal. The room is decorated with green curtains, large windows, plants, and a chandelier.

We began our four-part educational program in Sims' hometown, Livingston Manor, teaching children the difference between real and processed food and empowering them to make the right choices. This educational program is still at the core of the organization and includes a field trip to a local farm to understand where real food comes from, and culminates with a meal at one of the FSH restaurants, where students and teachers are able to sit down together and break bread.

A man and a woman standing close together in a grassy field, facing each other and smiling. Behind them, a white van with an orange sign that reads "a single bite: Neighbors Feeding Neighbors," sponsored by Oster Supply.

There is a deep connection between A Single Bite and Foster Supply Hospitality, the business our founders built here where their family's roots date back over 100 years. Long a tourist destination, the Sullivan Catskills is on a positive trajectory. And yet, our county continues to be one of the poorest in New York State.

As parents of two young ones, the thought of children going to bed hungry, let alone trying to learn on an empty stomach was too much to bear. That's when their purpose crystallized: use their hospitality background to help our neighbors and affect a change in health through nutrition.

Our Founders

“How can we expect great things from our children if we fail to give them the basic needs required to survive, let alone thrive”
— Kirsten Harlow Foster, Co-Founder
““When we returned to my hometown to run small hotels and restaurants, Kirsten
and I found there were other mouths to feed.””
— Sims Foster, co-owner of Foster Supply Hospitality

Our Team

Audrey Garro, Executive Director

Liz Stretch, Real Food Education Manager

Erik Howard, Culinary Associate

Jonathan Martinez, Executive Chef

Cynthia “Sam” Bugna, Manager of Programs, Projects, People

Jennifer Bitetto, Real Food Logistics Manager

Dan Berger, Sous Chef

Our Board of Directors

Sims Foster, Co-Founder & Chairperson

Co-Founder of Foster Supply Hospitality

Barbara Nanovic Garigliano, Esq., Secretary

Attorney, Blustein, Shapiro, Frank & Baron, LLP

Mark McLewin, Director

President of Combined Properties of Sullivan County, Inc. and  PennyWise Properties, as well as Co-Owner of the Neversink General Store.

Kirsten Harlow Foster, Co-Founder & Vice Chairperson

Co-Founder of Foster Supply Hospitality

Nancy Notaro, Director

Global Technology Sales, Microsoft
Grant Advisor to the Dr. David M. Milch Foundation

Jennifer Grimes, Treasurer

Principle, Country House Realty

Todd Ehrling, Director

Director of Hudson Valley AgriBusiness Development Corporation

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