Feeding Westchester celebrated the grand re-opening of its distribution center on July 19 at a special ribbon-cutting event. 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 Karen C. Erren, president & CEO of Feeding Westchester at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “Our existing distribution center struggled to have enough space to store and distribute the food required to keep up with the growing need.”
At the beginning of the year, Feeding Westchester leased 12k square foot 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.
“The extra space gives us the flexibility to offer our neighbors more products and services,” said Ryan Brisk, senior director of Operations and Procurement at Feeding Westchester and manager of the distribution center expansion project. “And by setting aside 30 percent of our warehouse space for staging and receiving, we will be able to operate more effectively and efficiently. We can move things in and out quickly. Prior to this expansion, we had almost no space in the distribution center that could be set aside for this purpose.”
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.
Westchester County Executive George Latimer, who spoke at the event, said, “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.”
Seeking Community Support to Stock the Shelves
After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, attendees at the event toured the expanded space, which is filled with newly installed racks and shelves. To help fill the empty shelves, Feeding Westchester is seeking community support. Just $1 donated can provide three meals.
“The shelves are empty now, but we hope they won’t be for long,” said Erren. “With the help of our amazing supporters, we’d like to stock the shelves. Together, we can make a substantial difference for struggling families by providing them with nourishing foods.”
To learn more, go to www.feedingwestchester.org.
