Food Bank for Westchester and Westchester Coalition for the Hungry and Homeless Merge

The county’s two largest organizations addressing hunger - the Food Bank for Westchester and the Westchester Coalition for the Hungry and Homeless - recently agreed to merge.

Food Bank President and CEO Ellen Lynch and Coalition Executive Director Jeanne Blum signed the merger agreement at a ceremony Jan. 30. In attendance were board members from both organizations as well as Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino and Westchester County Legislature Chairman Michael Kaplowitz.

“With the merger complete, we are positioned to provide even better service to Westchester County; to be a stronger and more effective organization in leading the charge against hunger,” said Lynch in a statement. “We need to raise the level of awareness about hunger in the county and engage as many individuals, companies and community organizations as possible in the work of finding solutions. That’s our job. Blending the Coalition’s culture and focus on community with our solid base of experience in the business of food banking, volunteer engagement and resource management makes us a formidable advocate for those in need and a more strategically focused service provider.”

The White Plains-based Coalition will move its operations to Food Bank’s Elmsford headquarters, officials said. The merger, which was approved by the state, will “strengthen the mission of both organizations by enabling them to operate more efficiently and eliminate redundancies. With the merger, the Food Bank will continue to build on the Coalition’s efforts and successes while also finding opportunities for its volunteers and supporters within the new structure.”

Blum will become the Vice President, Strategic Partnerships and Advocacy for the Food Bank. “The merger combines the talent and resources of two outstanding organizations both with long and proud histories of serving the hungry,” she said in a statement. “We are very excited about the future as we work collectively to tackle hunger in Westchester.”

Both established in 1988, The Food Bank and the Coalition have operated on different yet parallel tracks. From a press release about the merger:

The Food Bank, which is one of eight regional food banks in New York State, distributes more than 7.4 million pounds of food annually to an estimated 200,000 Westchester residents. It acquires, warehouses and distributes food to more than 265 front-line hunger-relief programs across the county including foodpantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and adult, child-care and treatment centers.

The Coalition advocates for hunger relief, provides financial and technical support to hunger-relief agencies and is a resource for those seeking help or information on poverty issues. It works with autonomous foodpantries, soup kitchens, shelters and service organizations, and raises money for organizations to build capacity and to purchase food and equipment for their programs.

“I applaud these two great Westchester institutions for joining forces to combat hunger,” said Astorino in a statement. “By improving efficiencies they will be more effective than ever in fulfilling their shared mission, and the county stands ready as a continued strong partner.”

Photo: Seated, from left, Jeanne Blum, former Executive Director for the Westchester Coalition for the Hungry and Homeless, now Vice President, Strategic Partnerships and Advocacy for the Food Bank for Westchester; Ellen Lynch, President and CEO of Food Bank for Westchester. Standing, from left, Joseph Pizzimenti, former Chairman of the Board for the Coalition, now launching an initiative to provide Food Bank Member Agencies with facilities and construction support. Westchester County Executive Robert Astorino; Westchester County Board of Legislators Chairman Michael Kaplowitz; Richard Rakow, Chairman of the Board for the Food Bank for Westchester. Photo credit: Contributed

Subscribe to a free email newsletter and news alerts:

BEDFORD-KATONAH • BRONXVILLE-EASTCHESTER-TUCKAHOE • CHAPPAQUA-MOUNT KISCO • HARRISON • LARCHMONT-MAMARONECK • NANUET • NEW CITY • NEW ROCHELLE • NYACK-PIERMONT • OSSINING-CROTON • PEARL RIVER • PEEKSKILL-CORTLANDT • PELHAM • PORT CHESTER • PLEASANTVILLE-BRIARCLIFF • RIVERTOWNS • RYE • SCARSDALE • SOUTHEST-BREWSTER • TARRYTOWN-SLEEPY HOLLOW • WHITE PLAINS • YORKTOWN-SOMERS