Westchester County Officials Help Bring Awareness To Hunger Epidemic

From Westchester County Food Bank: Leaders from the political, healthcare and business communities joined together on Wednesday, July 26 for a special forum to raise awareness of the fact that some 200,000 residents in Westchester County don’t know where their next meal is coming from.

Titled Hidden Hunger in Westchester, the forum, which was held at the Stop & Shop supermarket in downtown White Plains, focused on how to close the meal gap and ultimately eradicate hunger within the county’s neighborhoods.

The program was moderated by Bob Yager, Senior Vice President and Division Lead of Stop & Shop New York Metro Division and Leslie Gordon, CEO/President of Food Bank for Westchester. Panelists included Westchester County Executive Robert P. Astorino; New York State Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins; New York State Assemblyman David Buchwald; White Plains Mayor Thomas Roach; Westchester County Commissioner of Social Services Kevin McGuire;Dr. Mona Kennedy, Family Medicine Physician, NewYork-Presbyterian Medical Group Westchester and John Ravitz, Executive VP and COO, Business Council of Westchester.

“Westchester County is not unlike many other communities where there is persistent poverty and, as a result, families, individuals and especially children who are at risk because they don't have access to the nutritious food they need,” said Yager of Stop & Shop. “As with other communities, at times there can be a false perception of affluence across the board, and as a consequence, economic insecurity is under reported and often dismissed. Community leaders and institutions cannot take their eye off the ball, this is a problem that requires constant attention and a commitment to support our neighbors most in need.”

Gordon of Food Bank for Westchester added, “Hidden hunger is a lack of important vitamins and minerals for healthy growth and development. There are hundreds of thousands of people throughout Westchester County who are deficient in nutrients because they are facing food insecurity. People who are hungry or facing food insecurity are not just those who are homeless, many are working class individuals who could be your next door neighbor or your colleague.”

Among the topics discussed was the impact of proposed budget cuts on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) formerly known as food stamps, which provides food assistance for low-income individuals and families. “On a state level, one million kids go to sleep hungry, 600,000 seniors go to sleep hungry as well. We can’t cure a problem by cutting resources,” said State Senator Stewart-Cousins. Assemblyman Buchwald noted that New York supplements SNAP through its Hunger Prevention Assistance program.

The panel also discussed how the perception of Westchester as an affluent county affects the way people from both inside and outside the community view hunger. While Yonkers and Mount Vernon hold the largest populations of people who are hungry and food insecure, there are other affluent communities in Westchester that many don’t realize are affected. “People in every corner of the county silently struggle with this issue. Many more are embarrassed and don’t know where to go for help,” said County Executive Astorino.

In concluding the program, the panelists pledged to participate in Hunger Action Month in September, a nationwide awareness campaign to spread the word about the hunger crisis. The social media hashtag being used for the campaign is #HungryToHelp. For more information about Food Bank for Westchester, visit www.foodbankforwestchester.org.

Image Courtesy of Westchester Food Bank