Westchester Community Foundation Issues $433K In COVID-19 Grants

Press release from WCF:

March 12, 2021

As Westchester County marks the one-year anniversary of the first known COVID-19 case, the Westchester Community Foundation (WCF) announced today the latest round of grants from the foundation’s Westchester COVID-19 Respond Fund that was formed about a year ago at the height of the pandemic to help Westchester County residents, businesses, nonprofits and communities recover.

The three new grants totaling $433,500 are being issued to organizations addressing two priority needs in the County, including food insecurity and the need for digital access as many schools and businesses continue to operate virtually. The latest round of grant recipients includes Episcopal Charities, Hillside Food Outreach, and the Westchester Library System.

The breakdown of grants and their intended purpose:

· $200,000 to Episcopal Charities to support Westchester food pantries through an expanded bulk-purchasing program with a food wholesaler, giving pantries reduced prices, guaranteed supplies of selected items, and delivery. The grant will also support Episcopal Charities' plan to develop a hub-and-spoke network so that smaller pantries can participate in the bulk-buy program across the County from Peekskill to Yonkers.

· $75,000 to Hillside Food Outreach to provide food delivery to 750 vulnerable families referred by the County and local medical facilities. These families are homebound and/or unable to have their dietary needs met by food pantries, because of health-related dietary restrictions.

· $158,500 to the Westchester Library System to increase access to technology for families impacted by the pandemic in supplying 200 Head Start families and 50 homeless families with digital devices like Chromebooks and iPads, internet services, and technology training through local libraries.

“The Westchester Community Foundation fully recognizes that we aren’t out of the woods yet with our County continuing to face enormous challenges as large segments of the population are still experiencing a variety of hardships through no fault of their own,” said Laura Rossi, Executive Director of the Westchester Community Foundation. “Throughout the pandemic, we have worked closely with our nonprofit community to identify and address several ongoing needs, from access to technology and food insecurity to workforce development and access to legal services. This latest round of grants will help deliver services faster and more efficiently, and we will continue to stand side-by-side with our community partners to help families and businesses in need.”

“Food pantries, both large and small, have been on the frontlines of food insecurity throughout the pandemic with a critical need for food and other supplies on a daily basis. The incredible generosity of the Westchester Community Foundation will help us expand our Bulk Buying Program – providing higher quality food, including more proteins and fresh produce – and create greater efficiencies in the operations of our food pantries across the County that will enhance access to food for vulnerable populations,” said Peter Keller, President of the Board of Episcopal Charities.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, WCF has been actively engaged in supporting the nonprofit community with its Westchester COVID-19 Response Fund to help navigate the challenges of the public health crisis. Since the creation of the fund, WCF has raised over $2 million, and with this latest disbursement has distributed over $1.4 million in more than 40 grants to local nonprofits to serve thousands of members of the community.

For more information on WCF, please visit the Foundation’s website at www.wcf-ny.org.

This press release was produced by WCF. The views expressed here are the author's own.