West Side Campaign Against Hunger

Meet Chardley, our new John Jay Apple Corps Intern for the fall semester. Chardley is taking on the role of volunteer team lead at our 180th Street location on Wednesdays and 86th Street on Fridays. Aspiring to become an FBI agent, Chardley is passionate about giving back to the community while gaining valuable experience. He’ll be with us through mid-December—stay tuned to see the impact he makes!

We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to Assemblymember Manny De Los Santos and his team for their enduring support and partnership. Assemblymember De Los Santos recently awarded WSCAH discretionary funds, which will help us continue bringing healthy food to our customers in District 72. Thank you Manny De Los Santos for being a strong ambassador in our collective fight against hunger!

At the start of September, we launched a new customer volunteer pilot program for individuals in need of food and interested in volunteering. Participants in the program are eligible for an additional grocery shop for every three volunteer shifts completed. If you would like to learn more about how to get involved, please email volunteer@wscah.org. -------------- A principios de septiembre, lanzamos un nuevo programa piloto de voluntariado para personas que necesitan alimentos y están interesadas en ser voluntarios. Los participantes en el programa son elegibles para una tienda de comestibles adicional por cada tres turnos de voluntarios completados.   Si desea obtener más información sobre cómo participar, envíe un correo electrónico a voluntario@wscah.org. 

This September, join us for Hunger Action Month at WSCAH! As a member of the WSCAH community --- customer, volunteer, advocate, supporter --- your action makes a difference. Let’s all come together to fight hunger and ensure our neighbors have the food they need. Take the pledge to be all in with WSCAH and help us support more than 100,000 customers across the city. Volunteer: https://lnkd.in/ezWhuTW6 Donate: https://lnkd.in/d3eDAKJ

Stop by Tiki Chick tonight to support Xander V, a marathon runner from Team WSCAH! Xander will be running to support WSCAH in this November's NYC Marathon, 100% of the proceeds will go to his marathon fund so join us for a night of fun, raffles, and a special performance—all for a great cause!

Join us this fall for family-friendly volunteer opportunities at both our WSCAH locations! You’ll help pack healthy food and write heartfelt cards for our customers. Kids ages six and up are welcome with a parent or guardian.   Register now at https://lnkd.in/efV9HgqY. If you have any questions, email development@wscah.org. We can’t wait to see you there!

Our Washington Heights warehouse, which has only been operational since January, has already enhanced our ability to serve our ever growing community of New Yorkers in need. With 3.5 times more dry storage, 10 times more freezer space, and 30 times more refrigeration capacity, we can purchase more food in bulk and take greater amounts of donated product. For example, we anticipate saving nearly $100,000 this year on bulk milk purchases alone. We’ve also accepted over 100,000 pounds of rescued food that we otherwise would not have been able to receive because of the limited storage space at our 86th Street facility. To further enhance our efficiency, we're raising $150,000 for additional electric motorized pallet jacks, a cardboard compactor, and automatic lift gates. Your support will help us continue to provide food quickly and efficiently to those who need it most! Please visit https://lnkd.in/d3eDAKJ to donate.

Please note: WSCAH will be closed on Monday, September 2nd for Labor Day. We will reopen on Tuesday, September 3rd. We wish everyone a happy and safe weekend.

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.