As seen on www.riverjournalonline.com
Written by: Karen C. Erren, President & CEO, Feeding Westchester
As we mark one year since the first Covid-19 case in Westchester County, while hoping for a brighter 2021, it’s crucial to recognize that numerous families throughout the county still – and will continue to – face unprecedented challenges. Our neighbors, many of whom are experiencing hunger for the first time due to the effects of the pandemic, are in need of our help.
Though many may not realize it, hunger is pervasive right in our own backyard and has been for some time. Prior to the pandemic, our network of nearly 300 community partners and programs had been serving 150,000 individuals each month. During the height of the pandemic, that monthly number more than doubled.
It all happened very quickly. New Rochelle was declared the epicenter of Covid-19 in New York last March. Shortly thereafter, businesses and schools closed across the entire state, unemployment skyrocketed, and within the first week we distributed 35 percent more food than the week prior. By May 2020, that number increased to 99 percent – or nearly 640,000 pounds of food – in one week.
Read the rest of the story here.
