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For the Food Bank for Westchester’s most current Audited Financial Statement, click here.
For our most current 990 Reporting Form, click here.
For our most current Annual Report, click here.
OUR MISSION The mission of the Food Bank for Westchester is to lead, engage and educate Westchester County in creating a hunger-free environment.
OUR HISTORY The Food Bank for Westchester was incorporated in 1988 as a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization under the name “Food-People Allied To Combat Hunger, Inc.” -- Food PATCH -- to respond to the growing needs of hungry people locally. Our name changed in April 2007 to the Food Bank for Westchester. See 'A Brief History' for more details.
WHAT WE DO The Food Bank for Westchester is the backbone of the county’s emergency food distribution network. We solicit, acquire, warehouse and distribute food to 227 frontline hunger-relief programs throughout the county that include food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and residential programs. We provide over 95% of all food they distribute, helping to feed some or all of the estimated 200,000 Westchester children, seniors and their families who are hungry or at risk of hunger. We deliver 10 to12 tons of food a day and more than seven million pounds of food each year. To date we have distributed over 75 million pounds of food to hungry Westchester residents.
EMERGENCY FOOD DISTRIBUTION:
- Collection, warehousing and distribution of food and grocery products donated by the food industry and the USDA and purchased by Food Bank for Westchester in bulk quantities
- Food repacking into distributable quantities
- Distribution of paper and food-service products
- Delivery of product directly to member programs – 10-12 tons per day
- Project Green Thumb - distribution of fresh produce
- Food Recovery Program - food collection and distribution of perishable and prepared foods from restaurants, grocery stores, markets
- Rapid Food Distribution – mass distribution of produce at various Westchester sites
- Alternate Food Distribution – produce for senior congregate meals and for seniors to take home
DIRECT-SERVICE PROGRAMS:
- SNAP (Food Stamp) application assistance for seniors, the homebound and Spanish speakers
- STEPS self-sufficiency training for low-income women with children
- Kids Cafe after school hot meal/nutrition program
- BackPack program - weekend nutritious food for food-insecure children
- Food Growing Program teaches at-risk populations to plant and grow vegetables; the harvested produce is distributed to hungry people
- Hearty Helpings Meat Cooperative (HHC) – monthly program offering an assortment of quality meats, chicken and fish at half the cost of retail to anyone who wants to participate
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO MEMBER PROGRAMS:
- Nutrition, Food Safety and Sanitation
- Record-keeping and Inventory Control
- Volunteer Management
- Fundraising, Agency Management
WHO WE HELP The Food Bank for Westchester estimates that approximately 200,000 county residents are hungry or at risk of hunger. More than half of them are seniors; one-third are children under the age of 18. According to USDA’s 2010 report on hunger in America, Household Food Insecurity in the United States, 12.4 % of New York residents are food insecure, meaning they lack consistent access to a nutritious well-balanced diet. Child hunger is critically high, with one in 4 children at risk of hunger.
The following Westchester County statistics are from Feeding America, the national food bank network. The information is based on data gathered in 2009 and published in Hunger in America 1010:
| 2010 NATIONAL HUNGER STUDY: WESTCHESTER FOOD-ASSISTANCE RECIPIENTS |
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Local Statistics - Food Bank for Westchester |
| Children under age 18 years |
33% |
| Seniors |
51% |
| White |
19% |
| African American |
37% |
| Hispanic |
43% |
| Female |
58% |
| Male |
42% |
| US Citizen |
68% |
| Registered Voters |
68% |
OUR MEMBER PROGRAMS The Food Bank provides food and technical assistance to 227 qualified frontline hunger-relief programs throughout the county. All are not-for-profit organizations that include: food pantries; soup kitchens; low-income day care and adult-care centers; residential shelters; and other direct-service programs. The majority of our member programs are located in lower Westchester and in Westchester’s cities -- Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, Peekskill, White Plains, and Yonkers – and in the villages of Ossining and Port Chester. An additional 23 towns and villages throughout the county also have at least one program that is part of the Food Bank’s hunger-relief network. All Food Bank member programs must meet food-industry standards and food-safety guidelines. Government Emergency Food Programs such as USDA, which the Food Bank for Westchester administers, have additional criteria for participation in the Food Bank distribution system. All member programs must distribute food to the ill, needy and/or infants and have proper facilities for storage, food handling and distribution. The Food Bank for Westchester and government agencies periodically monitor member programs to ensure compliance. All Food Bank member programs are required to provide monthly reports documenting the number of people served.
OUR STAFF The Food Bank for Westchester has 25 full-time employees.
FOOD BANK WAREHOUSE & VEHICLES The Food Bank for Westchester is centrally located in the county at 200 Clearbrook Road, Elmsford, NY 10523. Our 37,000-sq.-ft. warehouse includes a 5,500-sq.-ft. freezer and a 2,500-sq- ft refrigerator. Our three trucks and one van enable the food recovery and distribution.
WHO SUPPORTS THE FOOD BANK? We rely on a generous network of volunteers, funders and food donors who give time, money and food to help us accomplish our mission.
- Volunteers serve on our board of directors, help us plan and conduct fund-raising events, hold food drives, repack bulk food and froceries in our warehouse, and conduct their own fundraising and awareness campaigns. More than 13,000 volunteer hours are donated each year so that other may eat.
- Funders include corporations, foundations, individuals, local organizations, and government
- Food Donors include manufacturers, processors, distributors, retail and commercial enterprises
CERTIFICATION Food Bank for Westchester is a certified affiliate member of Feeding America, the National Food Bank Network. Feeding America membership requirements include maintaining food industry, federal and regional standards in all areas including food handling and warehouse sanitation, record-keeping, inventory control, financial accountability, and monitoring of recipient member programs. Food Bank for Westchester is inspected by the United States Department of Agriculture, the New York State Department of Agriculture, Feeding America and the Corporate Inspection Team recruited from the food industry. The Food Bank for Westchester is also a founding member of the Food Bank Association of New York State and is a Better Business Bureau Accredited Charity.
HOW WE ACQUIRE FOOD Perishable and non-perishable foods are solicited and collected through donations from Feeding America, USDA, and local contributors, including food drives. We also purchase food at discount rates in bulk quantities through a cooperative buying program. All food comes to our warehouse where it is inspected and repacked into distributable quantities.
HOW WE DISTRIBUTE FOOD We distribute food to Westchester food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, adult and childcare centers and residential programs. The food is then distributed to hungry people in their own communities free-of-charge as groceries to take home or as cooked meals. The Food Bank for Westchester annually distributes is over six million pounds of food and groceries, helping to feed some or all of the 200,000 women, children and men who are food insecure in Westchester County. Every year the Food Bank for Westchester saves the community over 3 million dollars over the wholesale cost of food distributed.
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