08-25-09
Millwood, NY
Food Bank for Westchester Launches 20th
Annual Yom Kippur
Appeal
The Food Bank For
Westchester has launched its 20th annual Yom
Kippur Appeal to support the 187 soup kitchens
and food pantries it supplies in Westchester
County.
Last year,
members of nineteen Westchester congregations
donated nearly $25,000 and 21,600 pounds of
food, which provided meals to children, women
and men in Westchester who are hungry or at risk
of hunger.
In addition,
several congregations collected funds for Mazon:
Jewish Response to Hunger or contributed
directly to agencies in their own communities.
Food donors are being asked to provide such
staples as cereal, peanut butter, juice, coffee
and rice.
Appeal co-chairs
Jack Saferstein of Hartsdale and George Karp of
Mamaroneck said that the timing of the appeal is
crucial to its success. "Yom Kippur is the
Jewish Day of Atonement, when Jews around the
world reflect on the past year and fast to atone
for their sins," said Karp, who established the
annual appeal.
"It's an
opportune time for individuals who are
voluntarily fasting to donate the food they
would have eaten that day - or the cash
equivalent - to help hungry individuals and
families in their communities. There are 200,000
people in our county who cannot afford to put
food on their tables," Karp added.
"We have seen an
increase in the need for the Food Bank's
services, so support is more critical than
ever," said Saferstein. "We can't keep up with
the demand, so we are appealing to members of
the Westchester County community to help feed
three nutritious meals every day to the
increasing number of working families with
children who can't do it on their own."
Last year,
donations of food from food drives, retailers,
small distributors, caterers and restaurants
accounted for 9% of the total amount of food
distributed by The Food Bank. Twice that amount
came through Feeding America, the national food
bank network, which collects and solicits food
and grocery items nationally and allocates to
its member food banks in tractor trailer loads
of 40,000 pounds. USDA food accounted for
another 15% of the food distributed last year.
The largest
proportion of the food distributed by The Food
Bank was purchased using its huge buying power
with donated funds. The Food Bank shops all
across the country seeking the most nutritious
products at the best prices. One donated dollar
usually can buy $4 worth of food. Such purchases
accounted for 58% of the food distributed last
year.
Following is a
list of participating congregations.
Armonk -
Congregation B'nai Yisrael
Briarcliff Manor
- Congregation Sons of Israel
Croton - Temple
Israel of Northern Westchester
Chappaqua -
Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester
Dobbs Ferry -
Greenburgh Hebrew Center
Harrison - Jewish
Community Center
Hastings -
Mishkan Ha Am
Hastings-on-Hudson - Temple Beth Shalom
Larchmont - Beth
Emeth Synagogue, Larchmont Temple
Mamaroneck -
Westchester Jewish Center
Mt. Kisco - Bet
Torah
Mt. Vernon -
Fleetwood Synagogue, Sinai Free Synagogue
New Rochelle -
Beth El, Congregation Anshe Sholom, Temple
Israel
Pelham - Pelham
Jewish Center
Port Chester -
Congregation Kneses Tifereth Israel
Rye -
Congregation Emanu-El of Westchester, Rye
Community Synagogue, Congregation Sulam Yaakov
Scarsdale -
Shaarei Tikvah, Young Israel of Scarsdale,
Westchester Reform Temple
Tarrytown -
Temple Beth Abraham
Yonkers - Lincoln
Park Jewish Center, Northeast Jewish Center
Yorktown -
Yorktown Jewish Center
White Plains -
Bet Am Shalom, Hebrew Institute, Temple Israel
Center, Woodlands Community Temple, Congregation
Kol Ami
The Food Bank for
Westchester, one of eight food banks in New York
State, acquires, warehouses and distributes food
to 200 Westchester County hunger relief
organizations, including food pantries and soup
kitchens, among others. These efforts feed some
or all of the 200,000 people in Westchester who
are hungry or at risk of hunger. The Food Bank
mission is supported by an extensive donor and
volunteer network.
For additional
information, call the Food Bank at 914-923-1100
or visit www.foodbankforwestchester.org. The
Food Bank for Westchester is located at 358 Saw
Mill River Road, Millwood, NY 10546.
About the Food
Bank for Westchester: The Food Bank for
Westchester's mission is to lead, engage and
educate Westchester County in creating a
hunger-free environment. It solicits and
administers donations from both the public and
private sector, distributing food through
approximately 200 hunger relief member agencies.
Its core activity is the collection and
distribution of donated, government and
purchased food. The Food Bank distributes more
than five million pounds of food to member
agencies annually.
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