Entrée to Hope to Raise Funds for Westchester’s Hungry -- Non-Profit and Area Restaurant Partnership to Begin February 15

Millwood, NY (PRWEB) February 1, 2010

The Food Bank for Westchester, Grace Church Community Center and the Literacy Volunteers of Westchester announced their partnership to help raise funds and awareness for the County’s neediest citizens. Entrée to Hope will begin on February 15 and run through March 15, 2010. This year marks the second annual Entrée to Hope to provide food, shelter and education for hungry individuals in Westchester.

Entrée to Hope encourages Westchester diners to donate $1 for each entrée they eat at participating restaurants throughout the county. For a complete list of participating restaurants, or to make an online donation, visit http://www.entreetohope.org.

“Twenty percent of individuals in Westchester County – about 200,000 - are living only one financial crisis away from losing their homes or are being forced to choose between food, medical attention or paying for utilities,” said Christina Rohatynskyj, executive director of the Food Bank for Westchester. “Last year’s Entrée to Hope pilot was a success, and we look forward to helping more residents of the County this year.”

Each of the partner agencies has a mission to provide basic services to the most vulnerable residents of the county to foster self-sufficiency and specializes in providing one or more of the cornerstones of the Entrée to Hope promotion. Their combined vision is to share resources to reach a common goal of serving the needy by providing food, shelter and education:

• The Food Bank for Westchester is the backbone of Westchester’s emergency food distribution network, providing over 95% of all the food distributed by 190 grass roots programs such as food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and residential programs, helping to feed hungry Westchester children and their families.
• Grace Church Community Center is a non-sectarian, social services agency that annually assists more than 3,500 of Westchester County’s neediest men, women and children through its nine programs. Services include three shelters, a soup kitchen, eviction prevention services and an after-school mentoring program for homeless and disadvantaged children.
• Literacy Volunteers of Westchester County, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to “reaching the hardest to reach and teaching the hardest to teach:” American-born adults with poor literacy skills due to lack of opportunity or undiagnosed learning differences; and non-English speaking adults who may have low literacy in their home languages, either for economic reasons or because their own language lacks written form.

The Food Bank for Westchester solicits and administers donations from both the public and private sector, distributing food through approximately 200 hunger relief member agencies. Its core activity is the collection and distribution of donated, government and purchased food. The Food Bank distributes more than five million pounds of food to member agencies annually.

The Food Bank for Westchester is located at 358 Saw Mill River Road, Millwood, NY 10546. For additional information, contact the Food Bank at 914-923-1100 or info(at)foodbankforwestchester(dot)org or visit http://www.foodbankforwestchester.org.

About the Food Bank for Westchester: The Food Bank for Westchester distributes five million pounds of donated, surplus and purchased food and groceries each year, helping to feed some or all of the 200,000 women, children and men who are hungry or food insecure in Westchester County. Every year the Food Bank for Westchester saves the Westchester community more than three million dollars over the wholesale cost of food distributed

About Grace Church Community Center: Grace Church Community Center is a non-sectarian, community-based 501(c) (3) organization whose mission is to assist Westchester County’s neediest and most at-risk residents, especially those who are under-served by other resources. It is one of the largest social services agencies in Westchester County and has been providing shelter and support for individuals and families for over 30 years.

About Literacy Volunteers of Westchester: Formed in 1983, Literacy Volunteers of Westchester County, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing student-centered English literacy services to adults in Westchester County and acting as a community resource for the advancement of literacy countywide.

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