Westchester Food Bank Receives $171K State Grant

Food Bank for Westchester officials received good news Monday in the form of a $171,974 state grant to help feed the hungry.

The agency was one of nearly four-dozen across the state to receive funding, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced. In all, a total of $4.5 million in funding was doled out. More than 2,600 emergency food providers in the state will benefit from the funding.

The aid comes at a time when states throughout the country must deal with recent federal cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The cuts will result in New York state losing of $302 million a year in SNAP benefits, according to Cuomo.

“The money will probably be designated to increase our food inventory in our warehouse, as we are the county’s emergency food distribution network to over 265 hunger relief programs/agencies,” April Langus, a spokesman for Food Bank for Westchester. “The cuts in the SNAP program means that we will see an increase in our food requests from our agencies; the food pantries, soup kitchens, etc., who have already started to see an increase in the number of people seeking their assistance.”

The Food Bank, which is based in Elmsford, collects, stores and distributes food to more than 225 front-line hunger-relief programs throughout the county, including food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and adult, child-care and treatment centers. It provides more than 95 percent of all the food these programs distribute to feed the estimated 200,000 Westchester children, seniors and their families who are hungry or at risk of hunger.

Langus said Food Bank distributed more 7,444,922 pounds of food, or 6,204,101 meals, to its agencies during the 2012-2013 fiscal year. That figure represents an increase 800,00 pounds from the previous year.

“This number will no doubt increase with the SNAP cuts,” Langus said.

Gov. Cuomo encouraged New Yorkers and businesses to help meet the increased demand for emergency food by donating or volunteering at their local food pantry or church.

“With the holiday season upon us, New York State is stepping up to help food banks and soup kitchens across the state stock their shelves and feed those in need,” Cuomo said in a statement. “These state grants are aimed at filling the gap caused by the recent cuts in federal SNAP benefits and provide a boost to vital food assistance programs, to help provide relief to impacted New Yorkers. This time of year is also about celebrating the spirit of giving, so I encourage all New Yorkers to join our efforts by donating food or volunteering their time at local food banks and soup kitchens. A little can go a long way, and I encourage all who can to help those less fortunate this year.”

On Tuesday, Cuomo announced that Walmart, PepsiCo and FreshDirect are partnering this Thanksgiving week to help the New York National Guard deliver 2,800 beverages to families in need. Walmart also donated an extra $1 million to food banks and local charities in the state, with the Hillside Food Outreach in Pleasantville receiving $37,000 and the Wheels of Rockland County receiving $25,000.

Anyone who wants to help locally can contact the Food Bank for Westchester by calling 914-923-1100 or going to their Web site at www.foodbankforwestchester.org.