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Albany High retiree Mary Kelly has a heart for health that expands beyond her professional responsibilities. Not only did she serve the City School District of Albany for over 23 years as a nurse, she also has been a faithful supporter of our food pantry here at Albany High!

Since June 2022, Kelly has given a monthly donation to the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York specifically designated for Albany High. Thanks to Kelly and other individual donors and partner organizations, our students and their families can have access to nutritious food, free of cost at the Falcon Market.

As someone who raised three boys, she knows how hard it can be to keep one’s shelves stocked at home.

“I remember when they would sit down, three teenagers, eating a box of cereal a piece as a snack,” Kelly reminisced with a laugh. “Who can afford that nowadays?”

Known affectionately as Nurse Kelly throughout her career in the district, she served our students at the elementary, middle and high school levels, and was stationed at Albany High from 2019 until her retirement.

By caring for students day in and day out, Kelly was keenly aware of the negative impact of food insecurity on the lives of young people. This is what motivated her to take a proactive step towards improving access to nutritious food for our students and families.

Kelly’s generosity is a way to carry on the memory of her youngest son, who passed away in 2019.

“The kindnesses that I do are always in his memory,” Kelly shared.

On behalf of our Albany High staff, students and families, we thank Nurse Kelly for her incredible support and wish her all the best during her retirement.

For more information about how to support the Falcon Market with in-kind or financial donations, please contact Joey DiPiazza at jdipiazza@albany.k12.ny.us.