The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Food Bank

Feeding Westchester Celebrates 30th Anniversary

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& Launches Mobile Food Pantry in Partnership with Pace University This Fall

It’s been a busy fall for Elmsford-based nonprofit Feeding Westchester (formerly known as the Food Bank for Westchester). The non-profit just celebrated 30 years with their fundraiser “An Evening in Good Taste” this past October. The event featured cocktails and cuisine from more than 30 Westchester-based chefs including local favorite Beau Widener, the Executive Chef at Crabtree’s Kittle House Restaurant & Inn.

Beau Widener Executive Chef at Crabtree Kittle House Restaurant and Inn and staff delight fundraiser attendees with their delicacies at “An Evening In Good Taste” Photo by Stacey Pfeffer

This fall also saw the introduction of a new Mobile Food Pantry in partnership with Pace University. Pace President Marvin Krislov attended the first mobile food pantry event on September 27 and spoke with student volunteers who participated by passing out produce to students and local residents.

Noelani Rivera, a first-year student at Pace said, “It was a really great experience to be able to help others, especially people so closely tied to our community.”

Tyler Kalahar, program coordinator at Pace’s Center for Community Action and Research in the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, said the new mobile food pantry was in keeping with Pace University ‘s position as a leader in economic mobility in higher education. “Addressing hunger with the mobile food pantry program is simply another way to give students, particularly our first generation and students from low-income families, the resources they need to succeed in college,” Kalaher explained.

The mobile pantry visited the Pace campus on Halloween and November 27th. The next visit is scheduled for December 13th from 12:30-2:30 p.m. The program hopes to provide nourishing, stigma-free food in a location that is accessible to both students and the wider Westchester community.

The mobile food pantry is located at Pace University, 861 Bedford Road, Pleasantville, entrance 3, North Hall parking lot.

(L-R): Cornell Craig (Assistant Dean and Director, Multicultural Affairs and Diversity Programs at Pace), Zikomo Barr (Coordinator, Leadership Programs at Pace), Olivia Wint (Pace student volunteer), Natalie Holguin (Pace student volunteer), Marvin Krislov (Pace President), Tyler Kalahar (Program Coordinator, Center for Community Action and Research at Pace), Nicole Dobson (Feeding Westchester), Noelani Rivera (Pace student volunteer)
PHOTO COURTESY OF FEEDING WESTCHESTER

The Power of Feeding Westchester

1 in 5 Westchester residents do not know where their next meal is from.

Feeding Westchester provided:

  • 8.4 million lbs of food = 7 million meals
  • 2.2 million lbs of food provided to nearly 200,000 people through mobile food programs
  • Distributed over 432,000 lbs of food to over 3,000 seniors through their Senior Grocery Program
  • Grew local produce at 13 farm sites through their Food Growing Program
  • Partnered with more than 290 agencies across Westchester to feed the hungry

Source: Feeding Westchester 2017 Annual Report

Child Hunger Rountable Highlights Hunger in County

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Lowey, USDA Official, and Food Bank for Westchester Hold Child Hunger Roundtable and Food Bank Tour in Hottest and Hungriest Season

66,000 children in Westchester are food insecure; 13,600 in Rockland enrolled in school nutrition programs

Families of kids receiving free and reduced lunch in school face hundreds in additional costs in summer

Congress must save and strengthen child nutrition programs

Elmsford, NY – Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey (D-Westchester/Rockland) and United States Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services Kevin Concannon yesterday toured Food Bank for Westchester’s distribution center and held a roundtable on helping children at risk of hunger during the summer.

“The dog days of summer shouldn’t also be the hungry days of summer,” said Lowey, Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee. “Yet tens of thousands of children in the Lower Hudson Valley are hungry in the months they don’t attend school where they receive vital meals. We can’t expect children to grow, thrive, and succeed if they are hungry. That’s why I’m working with Food Bank for Westchester and USDA Under Secretary Concannon to pass legislation to save and expand summer feeding programs and other nutrition initiatives for millions of American children and families.”

Under Secretary Concannon said, “The USDA has long recognized summer as a vulnerable time for kids and has been focused on closing the food security gap that occurs during the months when school is out of session. Since 2009, more than 1.2 billion meals have been served through the Summer Meal Programs, fueling kids and teens throughout the summer and helping to ensure they are healthy and ready to learn when the school year begins. Alongside Congresswoman Lowey, New York State, the Food Bank for Westchester, and other partners, we will continue our commitment to the New Yorkers most in need.”

President and CEO of the Food Bank for Westchester Ellen Lynch added, “One in five people in Westchester County are food insecure, and 33 percent of those people are children. We thank Congresswoman Nita Lowey and USDA Under Secretary Kevin Concannon for their visit today and are grateful for their efforts on behalf of children and families. With their help, we are optimistic that we will be able to expand our summer feeding programs and make sure that more children receive the nutritious food they need and deserve.’’

Millions of American children are food insecure, including 66,000 in Westchester County, according to the Food Bank for Westchester. Many go without the nutritional support they receive at school during the summer months, including up to 25,000 Westchester students in grades five and under who receive free or reduced lunches in school. In Rockland County, according to People to People for Rockland, food insecurity affects 9.5 percent of the population, including 13,641 children enrolled in school nutrition programs. The Food Bank of Westchester officials said that, based on Feeding America estimates, families need an additional $318 for meals in the summer for each child who loses the benefit of free or reduced school lunch programs while school is out.

Following a tour of the Food Bank for Westchester’s impressive distribution center, Lowey and Concannon heard from hunger relief advocates, youth agency and nutrition program representatives, and school officials about the dire circumstances facing many local families and proposals to close the meal gap.

Joe Allen, Chairman of the Board for People to People for Rockland, which served nearly 47,000 individuals last year, said, “Since the recession began in 2008, the number of Rocklanders needing the services of the People to People pantry increases virtually every single month. In the throes of summer, the situation gets more severe. Too many parents now dread the financial strain that comes with feeding their families in the summer, traditionally the season of rest and relaxation.”

Elmsford Union Free School District Superintendent Joseph Ricca said, “Too many of our children are living in a constant state of uncertainty and anxiety about finding their next nutritious meal. During the summer months or holiday school recesses, these concerns are exacerbated. We must continue to work hard to support our neediest children and their families by providing them with opportunities to secure the food that they need during these challenging times. We are grateful to Congresswoman Lowey, Under Secretary Concannon and the Food Bank for Westchester for continuing to bring these dire circumstances affecting our children to the forefront.”

Congress is overdue to pass a Child Nutrition Reauthorization bill. Many related programs expired last summer, were temporarily extended, and will expire on September 30th. The bill Republicans passed in the House Education and Workforce Committee in May to reauthorize the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 would put more children at risk of hunger year-round.

The partisan bill’s shortcomings include:
· A higher threshold for the Community Eligibility Provision, which helps schools with high poverty rates provide free breakfast and lunch to all students;
· Block grants and decreased funding for states in place of vital and successful initiatives like the Summer Food Service Program and school lunch and breakfast programs; and
· No permanent authorization and less funding than is currently provided for the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) for Children pilot project.

As Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee, Congresswoman Lowey has strongly supported the Summer EBT program since 2010 and President Obama’s proposal to expand it nationwide, including for New York families. It provides debit-like cards for food purchases during the summer to families with children in free and reduced lunch school feeding programs. Concannon said Summer EBT has helped reduce the most severe food insecurity by one-third during the summer months and enabled children at risk of hunger to eat more nutritious meals in the eight states where it operates.

“Thankfully we have great organizations like People to People for Rockland and the Food Bank for Westchester to fill the hunger gap,” said Lowey. “Our communities are strongest when our economy helps Americans secure good jobs that fully support their families and when the government safety net is sufficient to help when they need it. When Congress returns to Washington in September, ending hunger for millions of young Americans must be a top priority. Our children are counting on us to put food on the table, and we cannot let them down.”

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“Soup’s On!”

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Executive Director Sherry Wolf in the Community Center of Northern Westchester’s food pantry.
Executive Director Sherry Wolf in the Community Center of Northern Westchester’s food pantry.

By Heather Skolnick

Now that the sun has set on summer and the leaves have completed their color transformation, cold temperatures are setting in. Fall and Winter are a good time to keep in our thoughts those who may not always have a hot meal or sufficient groceries available. Area soup kitchens and food pantries help provide that commodity to our community members who are in need.

The origin of the term “soup kitchen” is pretty straight forward–a facility where bread and soup for those in need was provided. They have been documented as far back as the 18th Century in Europe, and arrived in the United States in the late 19th Century. During the Great Depression, soup kitchens became an important salvation to those in need. In the subsequent years, they fell out of favor and didn’t re-surface in any significant way until the recession in the 1980s.

Today, soup kitchens and food pantries serve a very important purpose. They provide hot meals and/or groceries for those who would otherwise go without. While many may not realize, there is a significant need for this service in New Castle and the surrounding areas. The Community Center of Northern Westchester’s website provides the statistic “One in five residents in Westchester County is food insecure.” In 2011, more than 1,800 families took advantage of their services, providing 184 tons of food to those in need out of their facility right in Katonah.

The Community Center is a one stop shop for anyone who needs a little help getting back on their feet, providing clothes, supplemental food, English classes and help job hunting. A family can visit the grocery area up to once a month and can select groceries that will provide meals for four to five days. Their goal is to “take the edge off hunger and provide essentials,” says Community Center of Northern Westchester’s Executive Director, Sherry Wolf.

Between one third and one quarter of the food available in their pantry is donated by the community and community partners. The Community Center of Northern Westchester is supported by 31 different religious, civic and educational groups in the area. The Center has been serving 37 communities in Northern Westchester for 22 years. Ms. Wolf says that they are here for everyone and anyone–including “your neighbor next door.” They provide “help with compassion.” They have 300 volunteers who have done 50,000 hours of volunteer 
work. Help for your neighbors, by your neighbors. Some facilities not only provide food, but will also deliver healthy, balanced meals to those who can’t go to a food pantry in person. The Mount Kisco Interfaith Food Pantry offers delivery service to those who need it. Roberta Horowitz from the Pantry said they currently deliver to 13 families, and serve approximately 250 families a week at their facility. This pantry allows people to shop weekly, selecting their own food among a selection of canned goods, fresh fruits and vegetables, and bread from Panera. They are supported by 12 congregations. Clients must live in Mt. Kisco or surrounding areas that are not serviced by another weekly pantry.

Food Pantry volunteer Jonathan Fischer of Chappaqua.
Food Pantry volunteer Jonathan Fischer of Chappaqua.

Another option is coordinated through the Chappaqua Interfaith Council. The Interfaith Council has broad religious representation from over 20 different congregations. One of the organization’s initiatives is the Emergency Shelter Partnership which provides a place to sleep for up to a week along with a hot meal. Each religious house takes a turn hosting, with each facility participating one to two times each winter. This initiative was spearheaded by Reverend Paul Alcorn of Bedford Presbyterian Church in Bedford Village. Reverend Alcorn says of the initiative, “It got started about 10-11 years ago when several of us in the community became concerned because we knew there were people sleeping outside in the winter.

“Those in need gather at the police station in Mt. Kisco; a bus then takes them to the host congregation. On average, there are 18-24 people at a time being housed. Word of mouth and local police are leveraged to
 get the message out. Soup kitchens and food pantries are heavily dependent on volunteers. Chappaqua resident Elinor Griffith, a long-time volunteer among a variety of local organizations, suggests that giving back is “like a way of life” and that it unites a community. Volunteer opportunities for soup kitchens and food pantries are many. They range from working at the forefront distributing food to ensuring that there is both awareness of the need and knowledge of the food options for anyone in need. Sherry Wolf left me with these words of wisdom: “Demonstrate your compassion with your children. They model your empathy and become your ambassadors.” These are words to remember this time of year when many are in need.

Heather Skolnick, her husband Neal and their three children have been New Castle residents for seven years. Inspired by what she learned writing this article, look for them finding appropriate ways to volunteer their time as a family.

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To volunteer or contribute 
monetarily to an 
organization that helps 
provide these services, 
some contacts are:

Food Bank for Westchester: www.foodbankforwestchester.org

Mount Kisco Interfaith Food Pantry: 
www.mountkiscofoodpantry.org

Community Center of 
Northern Westchester:
 communitycenternw.org

Area Food Pantries

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little_girl

by Ronni Diamondstein

Food Bank for Westchester: The Food Bank for Westchester serves over 220 local hunger-relief programs throughout Westchester, including food pantries, soup kitchens, child and adult day-care centers, and shelters. To donate or volunteer, go to http://www.foodbankforwestchester.org/index.shtml

Interfaith Emergency Food Pantry: The Interfaith Emergency Food Pantry distributes food to between 30-40 families each weekend. To donate or volunteer, call  (914) 769-3944 http://pleasantvillenylions.org/interfaith_food_pantry.htm

Mount Kisco Interfaith Food Pantry:  As a community-based organization, the Mount Kisco Interfaith Food Pantry depends on the generous time and hands-on support of its volunteers to keep the cupboards full and the distribution efforts growing.  For more information, go to http://www.mountkiscofoodpantry.org

Inside Chappaqua Magazine Supporting Food Bank of Westchester

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It’s one thing to be without power following this storm. Quite another to combine that kind of stress with hunger. With that thought in mind… Inside Chappaqua is earmarking a minimum of $1000 from its advertising revenue in the upcoming Winter 2012/13 edition to the Food Bank of Westchester. “Every $1 donated to the Food Bank enables us to bring $4 worth of food to families to soup kitchens and food pantries in the county,” states Katy Coppinger, senior director of development for the Food Bank . Thank you in advance to all the sponsors who help make an Inside Chappaqua Magazine donation possible. Readers can help too with a voluntary or gift subscription of $24 to Inside Chappaqua Magazine, P.O. Box 643, Millwood, NY 10546.  At this time, Inside Chappaqua will donate HALF of your subscription dollars from now to January 15, 2013 over any such subscription to that $1,000 amount to the Food Bank as well.

Continue to be safe and warm everyone.

— Grace

7 Facts about hunger in Westchester

  • More than 200,000 people are hungry or at risk of hunger.
  • 33% of the hungry neighbors are children.
  • 51% are seniors.
  • 57% are registered voters.
  • 68% are U.S. citizens, many are veterans.
  • 1% of the hungry are homeless
  • 5% receive government assistance.

About the Food Bank for Westchester

The Food Bank for Westchester’s mission is to lead, engage and educate Westchester County residents in creating a hunger free environment.

The Food Bank for Westchester was incorporated as a not-for-profit 501 (c) 3 organization under the name of “Food People Allied To Combat Hunger Inc.” in 1988 to respond to the growing needs of hungry Westchester residents. The Food Bank has become the backbone of Westchester’s emergency food distribution network, providing over 95% of all the food distributed by over 220 grass roots programs such as food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and residential programs, helping to feed some or all of the 200,000 Westchester seniors, children and their families who are hungry or at risk of hunger.

The Food Bank for Westchester distributes 7 million pounds of food per year; delivering 9 to 12 tons of food per day to front-line agencies feeding the hungry.  The core program of Emergency Food Distribution is augmented by the following:

  • Project Green Thumb, which distributes bags of locally grown produce.
  • Food Recovery Program, which collects prepared and perishable foods from restaurants, corporate cafeterias and supermarkets and delivers the food directly to meal-service programs.
  • Food Growing Program, which grows produce on unused land using an available workforce.
  • Kids Café, which provides children hot, nutritious meals after school.
  • BackPack Program, which provides hungry, at-risk children with weekend bags of healthy food to get through the weekend.
  • A program entitled Services, Training, Education and Participant Support (STEPS) provides low-income women with children the tools to better manage their families and self-esteem enhancement as the first steps toward self-sufficiency.
  • Food Stamp Outreach is also provided by the Food Bank for Westchester

foodbankforwestchester.org