history

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 grown from 52 to over 200 member agencies and has to date distributed over 35 million pounds of food.

Food Bank Sevices

The Food Bank for Westchester provides the following services:

• Collection/distribution of product donated by the food industry, USDA and purchased food.
• Food repack & food salvage
• Distribution of paper and food service products
• Delivery of product directly to member agencies
• Mobile Food Pantry:
• Project Green Thumb
• Just in Time Delivery
• Prepared and Perishable Food Rescue Program
  
• Technical Assistance to Members
• Nutrition, Food Safety & Sanitation
• Record keeping & Inventory control
• Volunteerism
• Best Practices
• Food Stamp application assistance for seniors, Homebound and Spanish speakers

• STEPS self-sufficiency training for low-income women and children
• Kids Cafe – after school hot meal/nutrition  program
• Dept. of Correction Horticulture Vocational Program grows vegetables for distribution to hungry people

Plant and Vehicles

The Food Bank for Westchester is centrally located in Millwood, NY. The 13,000 square foot warehouse includes a 26,500 cubic Foot refrigerator/freezer. Three trucks and one van facilitate the food donation and distribution process.

Staff

• The Food Bank for Westchester employs 20 full-time employees.
• Over 13,000 volunteer hours are donated each year so that others may eat.

How Food is Acquired

Perishable and non-perishable foods are collected through donations from America’s Second Harvest, USDA, local donors, including food drives. The Food Bank for Westchester also purchases food through a cooperative buying program. The food is distributed to Westchester food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, adult and childcare centers and residential programs. These agencies give the food out to hungry people in their communities, free of charge, as groceries to take home or cooked meals.

The Food Bank for Westchester Members

Agencies receiving food & technical assistance from the Food Bank for Westchester are not-for-profit organizations. Generally these include soup kitchens, food pantries, low-income day care and adult care centers and day camps, shelters for the homeless, battered women, mentally ill and HIV/AIDS patients, residential treatment centers and Kids Cafes.

To receive food from the Food Bank for Westchester, programs must ensure that they meet important guidelines and criteria in feeding the hungry. Government Emergency Food Programs such as USDA, which the Food Bank for Westchester administers, have additional criteria for participation. All programs must distribute food to the ill, needy or infants and have proper facilities for storage, food handling and distribution. The Food Bank for Westchester and government agencies periodically monitor feeding programs to assure compliance. Programs must provide monthly reports documenting the number of people served.

Product Distribution

The Food Bank for Westchester’s annual distribution is over 5 million pounds of donated, surplus, and purchased food & 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.

2006 National Hunger Study

Certification

The Food Bank for Westchester is a certified affiliate member of America’s Second Harvest, the National Food Bank Network and the Food Bank Association of New York State.  Second Harvest membership requirements include maintaining food industry , federal and regional standards, in all areas including food handling & warehouse sanitation, record keeping, inventory control, financial accountability, and monitoring of recipient programs. The Food Bank for Westchester is inspected by USDA, the NYS Dept. of Agriculture, America’s Second Harvest and the Corporate Inspection Team recruited from the food industry.