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New Research Reveals More Complete Picture of Hunger in Westchester County  

  • June 30, 2023

ELMSFORD, NY (June 30, 2023) – New, ground-breaking research released today by Feeding Westchester reveals a more complete picture of hunger in Westchester County, and identifies neighborhoods in Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, Ossining, and Yonkers with the greatest unmet hunger needs.  

The Hunger Relief Systems Analysis, conducted by Feeding Westchester and Boston Consulting Group (BCG), is the first-of-its-kind extensive evaluation of hunger in Westchester County. The analysis looked at how to expand and improve people’s access to food county-wide.  

“We hear almost every day that people are surprised hunger is a significant problem in affluent Westchester County, but it is very real throughout Westchester,” said Karen C. Erren, President & CEO of Feeding Westchester. “We carried out this research to get a more complete picture of hunger so we can deepen our impact.”   

Data from multiple sources (e.g., demographic, health statistics, retail food locations, public transit locations, food supply estimates, food distribution points) was compiled and overlaid into a county-wide map using geographic information systems (GIS) technology. By mapping the need for food assistance, the supply of food, and the location and capacity of feeding partner distribution sites, Feeding Westchester can see a more holistic picture of the hunger-relief system throughout the county.   

“Our goal is always to create pathways out of hunger for our neighbors in Westchester County. This new, interactive visual tool will help us do just that. We can now see — neighborhood by neighborhood — opportunities to expand and improve equitable access to food services,” said Erren.  

 

Caring About the Experience of Those in Need 

The research also included interviews with food pantry visitors and surveys of 120 community partners to see how people interact with the hunger-relief system and to find ways to improve their experience.  

“The perspective of individuals with lived experiences is often neglected or minimized in problem-solving,” said Erren. “We were deliberate through our research in amplifying their voices and experiences to inform a better client experience.” 

The research found that people in the highest unmet need areas face structural disadvantages to accessing food, ranging from language barriers to under-staffed agencies to limited food supply and choices, and more.  

  

Engaging the Community in Four Priority Initiatives  

From this detailed Hunger Relief Systems Analysis, Feeding Westchester has identified four priority initiatives that the community can do together to address equitable access to food in Westchester County:  

  • Conduct regular listening sessions with prospective and existing clients to understand their lived experiences and barriers to access.  
     
  • Improve the client experience. Assist partners in the highest unmet need areas in making changes to their services, based on feedback from the client listening sessions, that promote a dignified, respectful client experience. 
     
  • Upgrade the capacity at feeding partner distribution sites. Identify feeding partners in highest unmet need areas and assist them with expanding and improving their distribution capacity so they meet the need at a greater scale.   
     
  • Make it possible for feeding partners to do food recovery. Enable partner agencies in highest unmet need areas to pick up, store and distribute fresh, nutritious food from local retail partners.   


“There are tangible steps we, as a community, can take together to alleviate hunger, which we will continue to root in 
addressing the needs of our clients and unlocking the potential of our partners,” said Erren. 

To view a presentation of the Hunger Relief Systems Analysis from the Relieving Hunger Together Town Hall at the Yonkers Riverfront Library in Yonkers, NY on June 29, 2023, go here. 
 
###
 
Feeding Westchester serves Westchester County, providing food to a hunger-relief network of more than 300 partners and programs. With a mission to nourish their neighbors in the fight against hunger, the organization sources and distributes good nutritious food and other resources to wherever it is needed most.  
 
In fiscal year 2022, Feeding Westchester provided more than 19 million pounds of food equivalent to nearly 16 million meals through soup kitchens, food pantries, schools, shelters, residential programs, and mobile distributions. That served 200,000 neighbor visits – including visits from children, seniors, veterans, and hardworking families – every month. The nonprofit, a 4-star Charity Navigator organization, is committed to creating a community where all people have access to the food they need today, and the fundamental resources to build a better tomorrow.  
 
Feeding Westchester is located at 200 Clearbrook Road, Elmsford, NY 10523. For more information, visit feedingwestchester.org. 
 

Notes to Editors:  

Hunger Relief Systems Analysis for Westchester County data and methodology.  

  • Compiled available data from a wide range of sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau, the Center for Disease Control, ALICE, Feeding America and other state and county data.  
  • Interviewed four food retailers in Westchester County who donate to Feeding Westchester.  
  • Combined demographic data, public health data, food supply estimates from retailers and the exact locations of every feeding partner and public transit stop in the county using Geographic Information System (GIS) technology and other visualization tools to create a valuable visual map that identified three key questions related to food service need, supply and capacity:  
  1. What and where is the need for food assistance in Westchester County?  
  2. What and where is the local food supply?  
  3. What is the existing capacity of the hunger relief network to meet the need? How can we improve it?  
  • Interviewed 20 neighbors who visited food pantries to understand their needs and experience.  
  • Surveyed 120 Feeding Westchester community-based feeding partners to understand their capacity and constraints, and their clients’ experience.  

Hunger stats for Westchester
  • 2 in 5 households at risk of hunger in Westchester  
  • 66 percent said a food pantry is their main source of food  
  • 44 percent skipped a meal because of not enough food  
  • 50 percent worried they and their family won’t have enough to eat  
  • 20-30 percent increase in mobile food pantry visits since March, due to COVID SNAP benefit’s ending  
1 Source: Federal poverty level & ALICE 2020 report 
2-4 Source:  Feeding Westchester’s Community Needs Assessment (July 2021) 
5 Source: Feeding Westchester mobile food pantry data (March to June 2023) 
Our purpose is to feed, empower, and unite our community. Our mission, to nourish our neighbors in the fight against hunger. But, the distribution of this food is only possible because of your support.

To continue to support Feeding Westchester, we encourage you to donate here. To find help, click here.

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Our mission is to nourish our neighbors in the fight against hunger.

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