Neighbor to Neighbor Receives $1.5 million Gift for New Facility

Greenwich’s food and clothing bank Neighbor to Neighbor has received a $1.5 million gift from the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation that will jumpstart its capital campaign to build a new facility on the Christ Church Greenwich campus.

Neighbor to Neighbor’s capital campaign, which is raising money to support the construction of a new building for the organization’s food and clothing operations. The foundation’s gift, a $1 million single pledge and a $500,000 matching grant donation, is the largest ever received by Neighbor to Neighbor. The building will be called the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Center for Neighbor to Neighbor.

“The Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation’s generous gift provides us with the opportunity to build a better, more sustainable space to help feed and clothe disadvantaged people in our community,” Neighbor to Neighbor Board President Allen Jackson said in a statement. “Their gift exemplifies the grass roots idea of neighbors helping neighbors by providing us with the physical foundation to continue to serve our community in a more effective and accessible manner. We deeply and sincerely thank Steve and Alex Cohen for their donation and their confidence in Neighbor to Neighbor.”

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Christ Church Greenwich has dedicated a parcel of land on their property to build a two-story freestanding facility of approximately 6,000 square feet. In April, the state of Connecticut awarded a Small Town Economic Assistance Program (STEAP) grant of $250,000 for the project.

“Steven and I are happy to support Neighbor to Neighbor, an organization that offers services and resources to people right here in our community,” said Alex Cohen, co-founder and president of the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation. “Our gift will improve Neighbor to Neighbor’s operations and capabilities, enabling it to provide even greater assistance to Greenwich residents in need. This gift reinforces our commitment to offering support to individuals and groups in the communities where we live and work.”

The Steven and Alexandra Cohen Center for Neighbor to Neighbor will not only provide safer, larger, and more accessible space, but will also ensure the organization will be able to serve residents in need well into the future. The new building will be fully ADA compliant, allowing all clients to take advantage of the client choice method of shopping and will provide a warm and welcoming place for visitors. Donors will find a convenient, clean and cheerful home for their gently used or new donated items. Clients and volunteers will benefit from greater accessibility and improved storage capacity.

“We are deeply grateful to the Cohen Foundation for recognizing the need for a new facility to provide food and clothing with dignity and respect to our neighbors who need our assistance,” Neighbor to Neighbor Executive Director Nancy Coughlin said. “This gift will directly impact the lives of thousands of Greenwich area residents in many positive ways.”

The 40-year-old volunteer, nonprofit organization provides healthy food at no cost to low-income area residents, including a weekly food program for Greenwich residents, an emergency food program for Stamford and Port Chester residents, and a summer lunch program for Greenwich students eligible to receive free and reduced price meals during the school year. Neighbor to Neighbor provides 325,000 meals annually to over 660 local families, providing access to nutritious foods including fresh produce, whole wheat bread, milk, chicken, and beef.

Neighbor to Neighbor’s clothing room, the provides good quality in-season clothing, linens, blankets, towels, books, diapers, and household items to over 2,600 low-income residents of Greenwich, Stamford and Port Chester.