In communities across Westchester County, there are parents choosing between groceries and rent, and seniors struggling to travel to food pantries. For the team at Meals on Main Street in Port Chester, the response is simple but powerful: meet people where they’re at.
What started as a modest community effort has grown into one of Westchester’s most dynamic food rescue and distribution networks. This year alone, they are projected to deliver 1.45 million meals.
At the center of Meals on Main Street’s next chapter is Executive Director Jon Haseltine, who joined in summer 2024. A trained social worker with an MBA brings more than a decade of experience scaling nonprofits’ impact. What makes him different? He instills a top tier level of professionalism in his team. “We provide dignified service,” Haseltine explains. “That means offering high-quality food and treating every client with respect.”
Team members, many of whom are bilingual in English and Spanish, receive training to work with people from all backgrounds. Weekly staff meetings focus on the challenges clients face. This ears-to-the-ground approach ensures they are targeting their efforts effectively and efficiently.
Supermarket on Wheels
The organization’s most visible practice of “meeting people where they’re at” is its fleet, which includes three mobile pantry trucks, four food rescue trucks and a smaller pantry vehicle, collectively visiting 55 sites across the county.
Rather than requiring clients to travel to a central location, the trucks bring groceries directly to food insecure neighborhoods. In one shift, an average of 75 to 100 clients can select three to five days’ worth of groceries, creating what Haseltine describes as a “supermarket on wheels.”
Approximately 1.5 million pounds of food are sourced through partnerships with retailers such as Wegmans and Trader Joe’s, and collaboration with the nonprofit Sharing Excess, which allows them to collect large quantities of fresh produce from Hunts Point Produce Market in the Bronx — one of the largest food distribution hubs in the country.
Community Kitchen
Another major driver of growth is the organization’s Community Kitchen, where rescued items are transformed into delectable experiences by their first-ever professional chef. Weekly, 3,000 balanced and nutritious meals are dished out to partner organizations like Neighbors Link in Mount Kisco, The Salvation Army in Tarrytown and Port Chester, and HOPE Community Services in New Rochelle.
To meet the rapidly rising demand for Meals on Main Street’s services, the team is preparing to open a second kitchen in Mount Kisco. In addition to all this, Community Café, a food truck offering a donation-optional model, will launch this spring in New Rochelle, Port Chester, and Mamaroneck.
It Takes a Village
None of this would be possible without the, on average, 80 volunteers a month who help package food, cook in the kitchen, and support programming.
Meals on Main Street is continually seeking new sourcing and host partners. Supporters can learn more, volunteer, or sign up for updates by visiting www.mealsonmainst.org.
The group’s signature fundraiser, The Main Event, will take place on Friday, May 29, at the Apawamis Club in Rye, bringing together community members committed to ensuring that no neighbor goes hungry. Stay in the loop to be the first to know when tickets go on sale.
For Meals on Main Street, growth isn’t just about bigger numbers. It’s about continuing to show up every day, in every neighborhood, ready to meet people exactly where they are.
- mealsonmainst.org
