AGENCY: The charitable organization that provides the food supplied by the food bank directly to clients in need of food through various types of programs.

FOOD BANK: a charitable organization that solicits, receives, inventories, and distributes donated and purchased grocery products pursuant to grocery industry and other regulatory standards. The products are distributed to charitable human – service agencies, which provide the products directly to needy clients through various programs.

FOOD INSECURITY: USDA’s measure of lack of access, at all times, to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members; limited to uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate foods.

FOOD INSECURITY WITH HUNGER: An involuntary state that results from not being able to afford enough food.

PANTRY: (Food Pantry, Food Shelf) A charitable distribution agency that provides its clients food and other grocery products for home preparation and consumption.

FOOD-RESCUE PROGRAM: a charitable organization /or a program of a food bank that collects prepared and perishable foods from sites such as restaurants, caterers and hotels pursuant to local health department and/or appropriate regulatory standards. The food is distributed to charitable human service agencies, which provide food to needy clients through various types of programs.

SHELTER: (Emergency Shelter, Homeless Shelter) a charitable program whose primary purpose is to provide shelter or housing on a short- term or temporary basis to needy clients and typically serves one or more meals a day.

KITCHEN: (Soup Kitchen, Community Dining Room) A charitable program whose primary purpose is to provide prepared meals, served in the kitchen, or delivered to the home, for clients in need.  

The Food Bank for Westchester, Inc.

The Food Bank for Westchester was incorporated in 1988 as Food – People Allied to Combat Hunger, Inc. (Food- PATCH) to better meet the increasing need for food in Westchester County, New York. The Food Bank for Westchester is the back bone of Westchester’s emergency food distribution network, providing over 90% of all the food distributed by 190 grass roots programs such as food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and residential programs, helping to feed hungry Westchester children and their families.

January 1,2007 we changed our name to The Food Bank for Westchester, Inc. 

 

The Food Bank for Westchester Members

Agencies receiving food & technical assistance from the Food Bank for Westchester are qualified not-for-profit organizations within the Food Banks service area. 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, Kids Cafes and most recently Alternative Distribution Sites.

To be able to receive food from the Food Bank for Westchester, an organization, whether run by volunteers or paid staff must meet all standards that govern the handling and distribution of food to the hungry. These standards include food handling/sanitation, equitable distribution, record keeping, fiscal responsibility, and an organizational structure that allows for oversight and accountability. Each stream of food donations may have additional criteria. For example the USDA Food Pantry/Soup Kitchen food, 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 periodically monitors member feeding programs for compliance, as may   government agencies. Food Bank member programs must provide monthly reports to the Food Bank documenting the number of people served.

Product Distribution

The Food Bank for Westchester’s annual distribution is 5 million pounds of donated, surplus, and purchased food and groceries, helping to feed some or all of the 200,000 women, children and men who are hungry or food insecure in Westchester County. Every year the Food Bank for Westchester saves the Westchester community more than 3 million dollars over the wholesale cost of food distributed.

Certification

The Food Bank for Westchester is a certified affiliate member of America’s Second Harvest National Food Bank Network since 1991. Second Harvest membership requirements include maintaining food industry standards in such areas as food handling, warehouse sanitation, record keeping, inventory control, financial accountability and monitoring of recipient programs. The Food Bank for Westchester is a founding member of the Food Bank Association of New York State. The Food Bank is certified and inspected by the United States Department of Agriculture, the NYS Dept. of Agriculture, America’s Second Harvest and the Corporate Inspection Team recruited from the food industry.