Feeding Westchester Celebrates Grand Re-Opening of Expanded Distribution Center  

Congratulations to BCW Member Feeding Westchester on the grand re-opening Wednesday of its distribution center in Elmsford. The organization’s newly expanded space will increase its storage and distribution capacity by 50 percent, boosting its ability to better serve Westchester County neighbors in need.

“Food prices and the high cost of living are straining family finances and putting more families at risk of hunger,” said Feeding Westchester President & CEO Karen Erren at a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by State and County officials. “Our existing distribution center struggled to have enough space to store and distribute the food required to keep up with the growing need,” said Erren, who is a BCW Board Member and Co-Chair of the BCW’s NFP Council.

At the beginning of the year, Feeding Westchester leased 12,000 square feet of vacated space adjoining its existing distribution center and began to renovate the space. The renovations, completed this month, included installing a new concrete slab floor; retrofitting the fire suppression system; adding a door to connect the new and old spaces; adding two dock doors for loading and unloading; and installing new shelves and racks. With the additional space and improvements, Feeding Westchester can hold two months of inventory or 1.4 million meals, compared to one month of inventory or 700k meals in its previously existing space.

Among those on hand to help cut the ribbon included Westchester County Executive George Latimer, New York State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, New York State Senator Shelley Mayer, New York State Assemblywoman Mary Jane Shimsky and New York State Assemblyman Matt Slater.

“Today I am hopeful knowing that Feeding Westchester – an already vital resource – has doubled its distribution capacity and will provide even more community members nutritious food that will help them thrive. Food insecurity often hides in plain sight and I commend Feeding Westchester’s tireless efforts to tackle this issue head on while adapting to meet the needs of our community,” said Latimer.