The nonprofit organization Feeding Westchester announced on August 20 that its president and CEO “has stepped down by mutual agreement” and a search is underway for a successor.
Karen C. Erren is being temporarily replaced by Tami Wilson, who is Feeding Westchester’s chief operating officer. Wilson spoke on behalf of the organization at an event on August 19 that was held at the Carver Center in Port Chester during which elected officials and others raised alarms about cuts to the SNAP food and nutrition program that are included in Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” that the president recently signed into law.
“Feeding Westchester, working with 175 partner organizations in our community, distributed over 21 million pounds of food last year, but the need has never been greater,” Wilson said at the Carver Center. “With deep cuts to SNAP ahead, we’re incredibly concerned for Westchester residents including single parents, veterans, working families, and seniors who will be left with even fewer options to put food on the table. We are committed to working with leaders at all levels of government to ensure every neighbor has the food they need.”
The “Big Beautiful Bill,” H.R. 1, reduces SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) by 20%, approximately $200 billion, forcing states and counties to make up the difference or cut food assistance. An estimated $55 billion in SNAP benefits and administrative costs would be transferred to the states, and some of that likely will be shifted to counties. The House Committee on Budget estimates that at least 317,000 people in New York could lose some or all of their food assistance, including the 74,000 people on SNAP in New York’s 16th Congressional District, represented by George Latimer.
According to State Sen. Shelley Mayer, over the past 25 years the number of Westchester residents receiving SNAP benefits has nearly doubled.
“I am deeply distressed by the devastating impact H.R. 1 will have on our families and neighbors,” Mayer said. “These reckless and cruel cuts threaten many of our neighbors children, seniors, veterans, disabled people, and working families who are already struggling to get by. We cannot continue to ask ever more of our neighbors and community organizations, who are already stretched thin, while our federal government turns its back on our neighbors. We will continue to stand up and fight to ensure every New Yorker has the basic dignity of being able to put food on the table and live without hunger within our state and county.”
Congressman George Latimer said, “In the real world, this will take food away from working families, seniors, and veterans. It will make life harder and more expensive for many people.”
Latimer praised organizations such as Feeding Westchester for the work they do, but noted that “they aren’t meant to replace a program like SNAP. I will keep working with partners at every level of government to ensure food banks have the resources they need at this difficult time.”
Anne Bradner, CEO of the Carver Center, said that in the past year it had 28,732 visits to its facility and distributed 700,000 pounds of food.
“Port Chester’s working families struggle to make ends meet, due in large part to the high cost of housing in the area,” Bradner said. “Efforts to address food insecurity in Port Chester have traditionally been shared by government, nonprofits, and private funders. We expect an increase in demand for food and case management services and are concerned about our ability to meet that demand.”
State Assemblyman Steve Otis said, “We have outstanding not-for-profits and houses of worship who have been serving Westchester’s hungry for decades. The need in our county is great but often hidden. These cuts will impact families and place greater burdens on our already pressed food bank network. The Republican Congress and the president only care for people who have no needs, no problems, and no challenges in life. The cuts will have dire consequences.”
