Several Westchester community groups, and hundreds of volunteers are coming forward to try and help those in need and make sure they have a Happy Thanksgiving.
Feeding Westchester is providing turkeys and meals to families in two different ways. This year, Stop & Shop celebrated Veteran’s Day with a donation of 1,000 Thanksgiving turkeys to Feeding Westchester, Westchester County’s largest nonprofit hunger relief organization, in an effort to help meet the unprecedented need for holiday assistance. A group of local Vietnam War veterans were on hand at Stop & Shop’s 154 Westchester Avenue location in White Plains to load the Feeding Westchester truck as part of the supermarket chain’s Turkey Express program.
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan are twice as likely to be food insecure compared with the general population. “We’re here to help those who have helped our country,” said Duke Searles, Vietnam War veteran and Volunteer Supervisor of VA Hospital Supportive Housing Food Pantry. “I know what it is like to not want to ask for help, but we have an abundance of food for the veterans and their families through the VA pantry, and so many other services available for them to get the help they deserve.”
Current law limits the availability of SNAP benefits to military families, with one of the results being that approximately 9 percent of active duty service members – roughly 90,000 families – have sought charitable food assistance during the past year. “We are grateful to Stop & Shop for their generous support once again through the Turkey Expressprogram and honored to have the assistance of Duke and his fellow Vietnam War veterans,” said Feeding Westchester President & CEO Karen C. Erren.
“The pandemic has created unprecedented need that isn’t limited to certain zip codes or professions. Many are experiencing food insecurity for the first time and, as we enter the holiday season, will require assistance. A number of our senior citizens, for example, rely on help from their families. Because of the pandemic, some will be spending the holidays alone – unable to put food on the table through the winter months.”
Stop & Shop’s Turkey Express program will deliver nearly 22,000 turkeys to hunger relief organizations this holiday season.
NewYork-Presbyterian is also working with Feeding Westchester to provide at-risk families in Peekskill and Mt. Vernon with healthy food. The two organizations launched the Food Farmacy Program this month, which provides bags of nourishing, healthy food, and staples to 120 area families. The 20-pound bag includes whole grains, low-sodium and low-sugar shelf-stable products, and fresh produce. NewYork-Presbyterian’s Food Farmacy Program is a prevention program that addresses food insecurity to help improve health outcomes. Individuals with nutritional needs are referred to the program by a health provider for supplemental foods that best promote health, prevent future illness, and manage chronic health conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure.
NewYork-Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital is facilitating the food distribution program with Sun River Health in Peekskill, and NewYork-Presbyterian Lawrence Hospital is working with the Mount Vernon Neighborhood Health Center.
“NewYork-Presbyterian is deeply committed to improving the health and well-being of our patients, our neighbors, and all the communities we serve in Westchester County,” said Michael Fosina, MPH, FACHE, President, NewYork-Presbyterian Lawrence Hospital. “We are thrilled to work with Feeding Westchester to offer this innovative program in areas that have been hard hit as a result of the pandemic.”
Feeding Westchester’s network of more than 300 partner agencies and programs throughout the county are serving more than 300,000 residents who are hungry each month — more than twice as many as pre-COVID-19. The nonprofit has distributed nearly 16.5 million pounds of food, or 13.8 million meals, in the last year compared to 10.1 million pounds in 2019. Due to the pandemic, Feeding Westchester distributed 123 percent more food from than the same period last year.
In Yonkers, the Eben-Ezer Church of God is continuing its community outreach program creating care packages to aid the homeless and those in need to keep safe and warm this winter season. Now more than ever the homeless community needs your support. Please Consider Donating some of the items listed or $10 for each Care Package
Donations can be made on their website ebenezernation.org/outreach-ministries Items include: Mylar Blankets, Hand Warmers, Tooth Brush, Tooth Paste, A&D Ointment, Chapstick, Hair Pic, Brush, comb, Wide Brush, Nail file, Hand sanitizer, Bladder Ctrl Liners, deodorant, Alcohol Pads, Bacitracin, Band-Aid, Bags, Clear Big Bags, Contractor Bags, Draw String Bags, Sandwich Ziploc bags, Jumbo Ziploc Bags, Clothing/ T-shirts L, M, S, Socks, Nonperishables , Beef Jerky, Peanut Butter.
Items can be mailed to The Eben-Ezer Church, 245 South Broadway P.O. Box 616, Yonkers, NY 10705, or by calling 914-207-5255, or by email at outreach.ecog@gmail.com.
If you believe that there are more of our fellow residents who will be hungry this holiday season, one other worthy cause for your consideration is whyhunger.org.
WhyHunger was founded in 1975 by the late musician Harry Chapin and Radio DJ Bill Ayres on the fundamental belief that access to nutritious food is a human right and hunger is a solvable problem in a world of abundance. What began as a simple commitment between two friends to make a difference has grown into a global non-profit, celebrating over 40 years of supporting social movements and grassroots innovations to change the systems, policies and institutions that perpetuate hunger and poverty in our world. WhyHunger has proven that change is possible and that justice can prevail. Please visit whyhunger.org to learn more and to find ways to receive a gift for your donation.
And we wish all of you a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving.
