With rising cost-of-living, higher grocery prices, and federal funding cuts, the mission of Feeding Westchester and the critical role its corporate partners play in fighting hunger in our community have never been more important. More than 55 million US households–a staggering 42%–are at risk of hunger*.
Westchester County is home to some of the nation’s most affluent towns, but is also several of New York’s largest cities, including Yonkers, New Rochelle, Mount Vernon, and White Plains. In Westchester, 39% of households–more than one in three in our community–are at risk of hunger*. That number has increased 15% in just two years.
More than 300 corporate partners actively join Feeding Westchester in the fight against hunger. They help ensure that nutritious food and vital resources reach neighbors who need them the most through team-building projects, employee volunteer days, corporate donations, event sponsorships, and other community-driven initiatives. Together, these partnerships strengthen our countywide hunger-relief network and bring hope to thousands of local families.
An excellent representative of Feeding Westchester’s generous corporate partnerships is Empire City Casino by MGM Resorts (‘Empire City’). Empire City’s ongoing focus to combat food insecurity remains paramount as the number of New Yorkers in need continues to rise.
Since MGM Resorts acquired Empire City Casino in 2019, it has made significant financial contributions to area nonprofit organizations to address food insecurity, including Feeding Westchester. MGM Resorts Foundation grants to Feeding Westchester in recent years have supported local food pantries and distributions, along with a range of programs including Retail Recovery and Kids in the Kitchen.
Feeding Westchester’s Retail Recovery program diverts millions of pounds of healthy food that would have previously gone to waste, to families in need across Westchester County. Last year, the program prevented over five million pounds of good food from ending up in landfills. Kids in the Kitchen, a partnership that originated with the Mount Vernon City School District and has since expanded to other districts, empowers young children and their families to educate themselves around healthy cooking and balanced nutrition.
“Empire City is a valued partner joining in our mission to nourish neighbors across Westchester,” said Tami Wilson, Chief Operating Officer of Feeding Westchester. “These partnerships are critical to ensuring that families in our community have access to nutritious food. With deep cuts to SNAP ahead, we’re incredibly concerned for Westchester residents—including single parents, veterans, working families, and seniors— who will be left with even fewer options to put food on the table. The role of the private sector is more important than ever, and we are calling on all partners—new and long-standing—to step up in unprecedented ways to meet this growing need.”
In addition, many Empire City employees volunteer their time at Feeding Westchester events to help hand out food to those in need across the community in which they live from Yonkers to Mount Vernon and across the region.
Several Empire City employees participated in Feeding Westchester’s Golden Scoopcompetition, a spirited corporate competition to see who could pack the most food in the least amount of time for local families in need. This year’s competition resulted in 2,100 bags of produce–more than 14,000 meals–packed for distribution to Westchester seniors.
In line with its philanthropic mission, Empire City employees have dedicated hundreds of volunteer hours to food insecurity, part of MGM Resorts’ broader commitment to exceed more than one million volunteer hours companywide by 2025, a milestone the company has already achieved this year.
“As more of our neighbors face food insecurity, the resources local organizations need is increasing, and MGM Resorts is incredibly honored to be able to support initiatives to address food insecurity through our nonprofit partners, including Feeding Westchester,” said Taryn Duffy, spokesperson for Empire City Casino by MGM Resorts.
Food insecurity will be a growing concern for the foreseeable future with additional federal program cuts looming large and grocery prices rising every year. For more information on Feeding Westchester Corporate Partnerships, please visit https://feedingwestchester.org/get-involved/corporate-partnership-volunteer-opportunities
*SOURCE:
National = ALICE United 2023, United Way
Westchester = ALICE in Westchester 2023, United Way of Westchester and Putnam
Surveys are completed with a 2-year data lag
