Hunger, close to home

By Ellen Lynch

When many of us think about issues of hunger, images of far-off continents, outposts in Appalachia or inner-city shelters come to mind. Rarely is it thought to be a problem here in Westchester County.

After all, we”™re a long way from sub-Saharan Africa. But hunger is closer to home. It is real. And it may well be one of your neighbors who is in need.

Nearly 200,000 Westchester residents don”™t have enough food to eat or are at risk of going hungry. That”™s roughly one-in-five residents in one of this country”™s wealthiest suburbs. It”™s hard to believe, isn”™t it? But there”™s a good chance you may even know a family, child or senior citizen who could use some help this holiday season.

You”™ll likely see them in your daily travels, although you may not know it ”“ it”™s not like they”™re wearing signs or holding placards that say, “Please help, I”™m hungry.” But they do need it nonetheless. Very often it”™s the office worker, store clerk or the person who mows your lawn or takes care of your children who is struggling. They are the so-called “working poor” and over the last decade, their ranks have soared.

There are many reasons why people have a tough go of it ”“ the loss of a job, illness, disability and any number of other circumstances may be to blame. The reasons vary, but it”™s less surprising when you consider the United States is still recovering from one of the worst recessions since the Great Depression. For far too many, a bad break, temporary setback or unexpected circumstance has forced people into choosing between necessities like food, heat or paying the rent or mortgage.

In some cases, the need isn”™t chronic. A person who has their wages cut or loses a second job or depletes their savings may find themselves coming up short for groceries by month”™s end. In this business, we call it “food insecure.”

Whatever the scenarios, too many people are stretched thin.

In fact, the needs have been growing so fast in recent years that the Food Bank for Westchester, one of eight food banks in New York state, saw demand rise for emergency food assistance by 66 percent from 2008 to 2013. Other services such as SNAP (more commonly known as food stamps) quadrupled and the BackPack Program, which supplies food for children during the weekends now has 40 schools and community centers and serves roughly 1,700 children. And with this program, we know far more children in this county are eligible for the help.

Project Green Thumb ensures that residents get healthy, fresh produce from local farmers. Every week, volunteers pack up 1,200 bags of produce, with each bag containing four different vegetables and two different fruits. That”™s enough to provide to a family of four with enough food for up to three days. In 2012, we distributed 1,223,880 pounds of produce through this program.

We distributed more than 5,800 turkeys to relief agencies for Thanksgiving. A success for sure, but far more needs to be done. We can”™t rest on our laurels.

The Food Bank for Westchester, which has a 36,000-square-foot facility in Elmsford that includes the county”™s largest refrigerator and freezer, is working hard to meet these growing demands.

We distributed more than 7.4 million pounds of food last year ”“ or roughly 6.2 million meals ”“ to hundreds of food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, day care centers and residential programs.

Despite that, the needs remain and we could use your help, particularly during this holiday season when we strive to bring so much joy to our loved ones. Please consider donating to the Food Bank fot Westchester before year”™s end; your tax-deductible contribution goes a long way to helping your own neighbors.

There are many ways to help and we”™re grateful for those who can. Contributions can be sent to:

The Food Bank for Westchester

200 Clearbrook Road

Elmsford, NY 10523

Ellen Lynch is the executive director of The Food Bank forWestchester. To learn more, visit foodbankforwestchester.org or call (914) 923-1100.