West Side Campaign Against Hunger

Over the summer, we’ve been featuring various community partner sites across the city and highlighting their incredible work and our collaborations. This week, we’re excited to spotlight New York City Council Member Shaun Abreu in Hamilton Heights!    Since October 2017, WSCAH has partnered with the City Council District 7 office to provide food to members of District 7. This partnership began with Council Member Mark Levine and continues with Council Member Shaun Abreu. Over the last seven years, we have collectively served nearly 2,200 households, distributing over 220,000 pounds of healthy food. Members of WSCAH’s Benefits Access Team attend the weekly distributions to help our customers sign up for essential benefits, such as SNAP (formerly Food Stamps). In October 2023, Council Member Abreu’s Office became a Community Hub, offering a more convenient food distribution pick-up point for WSCAH customers who were previously receiving food from our Upper West Side pantry but live closer to Hamilton Heights.

Thank you to the dedicated volunteers from our community partner distribution site, School in the Square Public Charter School (S2), a tuition-free public charter school for students in Washington Heights and Inwood. Since our partnership began in March 2021, together we have assisted 740 unique households with over 318,000 pounds of healthy food. The S2 volunteers packed fresh produce at our 180th Street distribution hub, and we thank them for their positive impact on our community.

Earlier this week, the WSCAH team held an inspiring all-staff retreat at Brooklyn Grange, a sustainable rooftop farm. Given our commitment to providing over 50% fresh produce, understanding the journey from farm to table is essential. We enjoyed a tour of the farm and actively participated in harvesting fresh peppers and tomatoes. This hands-on experience deepened our connection to the food we distribute. The retreat was a valuable opportunity to align our goals, enhance our collective vision, and reaffirm our commitment to serving our community with dignity.

WSCAH's Benefits Access Team works one-on-one with our customers to identify and secure benefits and services for which they are eligible. Our team facilitates everything from enrolling individuals in programs like SNAP to connecting them with other necessary resources. Marbin, a long-time customer, says: “WSCAH has supported me for 17 years. They’ve been instrumental in assisting me with SNAP and Medicare applications, including applying, reapplying, and managing documentation. Since the pandemic, navigating the digital paperwork has been overwhelming, but WSCAH’s team has guided me through every step, resolving any issues I’ve faced.”

A critical part of our work is to help WSCAH customers access essential benefits, such as SNAP (formerly food stamps). A few weeks ago, members of WSCAH's Benefits Access team—Senior Benefits Access Specialist, Delilah Guzman; Benefits Access Specialist, Dafne Garcia; and Customer Support Specialist, Angel Tirado Perez—participated in a block party in Washington Heights hosted by New York City Council Member Shaun Abreu, a strong WSCAH advocate and long-time community distribution partner. Our team members shared information about our benefits enrollment services, highlighting how WSCAH works with our customers to assess benefits eligibility and help them with the application process.   If you're interested in having members of our Benefits Access team visit your organization to talk about benefits enrollment, please email [email protected].

WSCAH relies on our strong partnerships with organizations across the city to distribute food in the neighborhoods where our customers live and work. This week we’re proud to highlight the Mexican Coalition, a non-profit that supports Latino families. Beginning in April 2020, WSCAH provides healthy food distributions to their communities in the South Bronx and Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Since then, together we've reached nearly 4,000 households and distributed over 500,000 pounds of healthy food. Together, we're ensuring every New Yorker has access to the nourishment they need.

WSCAH recently received another generous grant from the Starbucks Neighborhood Community Grant Program. Additionally, each year our local Starbucks on 86th Street (2370 Broadway) provides coffee and pastries for the volunteers at our annual block party, WSCAH ROCKS THE BLOCK. And just yesterday, Starbucks team members volunteered with us at 86th Street. Special thanks to Starbucks for ‘brewing up’ support for our community! The team helped serve over 500 families at WSCAH’s 86th Street distribution center.

Last week, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that New York State has issued nearly $200 million in food assistance to over 1.5 million low-income youth through the new Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (Summer EBT) program. Each eligible family will receive $120 per child to help cover the cost of healthy meals. “Having access to healthy, nutritious food is essential for children’s health and well-being,” said Governor Hochul. This program aims to provide much-needed relief to children and families in New York City facing food insecurity, especially with the rising cost of living. To apply or learn more about the program visit: https://lnkd.in/eDyj7Crm

At WSCAH, we're committed to maximizing the impact of our donations and enhancing sustainability at our new food storage and distribution hub in Washington Heights. Every week, staff and volunteers repack 80,000 pounds of food, generating thousands of cardboard boxes. We're raising $150,000 for infrastructure improvements, including a cardboard compactor, to reduce our environmental footprint and free up resources to better serve those in need. We appreciate your support in making this important enhancement possible.   Please donate now at: https://lnkd.in/d3eDAKJ

Join the WSCAH Team as our Communications Manager!   WSCAH is seeking a dynamic and versatile Communications Manager to lead our efforts in amplifying our mission to fight hunger across New York City.   You'll play a key role in shaping our voice, engaging our community, and spreading awareness about our vital work.   If you're committed to making a difference, apply now! Visit https://lnkd.in/efDHHDHj for more details.