PROGRAMS AND RESOURCES

We are here to refer you to programs and resources, according to your needs. Our team is committed to your success and well-being, and we strive to create a supportive environment where you can thrive.

Food4Wellness

Food 4 Wellness is an initiative integrating action across four pillars to provide an engaging experience for guests centered around the benefits of nutritious foods.

  • Provide Appealing, Nutritious Choices (produce, protein, Pantry staples, culturally appealing, locally sourced foods)

  • Integrate a Healthy Lifestyle (Community partnerships with wellness clinics and video content. Focus on sleep & stress relief)

  • Inspire and Inform Choices (video content at distribution via Tik Tok, recipe cards, meal plans, cooking classes/demos, focus on kids; 1 on 1 nutrition counseling available

  • Enhance Referrals (highlight community resources to guests; maintain community partner awareness of Pantry)

Grab -n- Go

Through this program, we partner with local restaurants to source quarts of carefully curated and healthy soups accompanied by fresh bread.  These soups help with the time crunch that our guests experience as they juggle multiple jobs and family duties and offer warmth and comfort during the coldest months of the year. This is not only an investment in the health and wellness of our clients, but in the economic well-being of our community as it supports local businesses and the people they employ.

Morning Fuel Up

In partnership with Neighbors Link and sponsored by Rivera Toyota of Mount Kisco, this program provides freshly made hot breakfasts for an average of 20 hard-working neighbors, 6 days a week year-round.  This hot breakfast initiative fuels the participants with nourishment as well as a sense of community to sustain them during the day ahead.

Schools Out Supplement (SOS)

While school is out for the summer, children who rely on school-provided free or reduced-cost lunches experience a nutrition gap. In response, in 2019 the Pantry launched the “School’s Out Supplement” (SOS) program”. This popular 10-week summer program provides extra lunch food items for families with school-age children.  As of 2022, we have served over 1000 children and counting.

A Sampling of In Pantry Complementary and Educational Resources 

  • Cornell Cooperative Extension - twice yearly eight-week nutrition classes given in Spanish with completion certification. Topics include smart shopping, healthy eating, exercise for health, etc.

  • “Field Trips” coordinated in conjunction with D.I.G. Farm (“Dealing in Good”), Westmoreland Sanctuary, For the People & Kids Outdoor Learning Organization and others.

  • “Library Ladies” - the Pantry’s very own literary volunteers who distribute free books to all children visiting the Pantry, as well as adults. They visit “in warmer months” outside the Pantry’s doors. 

  • Little Lending Library - located on the side street outside the Pantry and United Methodist Church. It is free for all. Leave a book, take a book. 

  • New York Medical College student volunteer food demonstration presentations.

  • Northern Westchester Hospital - year-long monthly visits to the Pantry during Distribution times offering flu shots, blood pressure checks, nutrition lessons, healthy adult/kid snacks, sun protection tips, lyme disease education and more.

  • Open Door Medical Center Mount Kisco - offering WIC (Women, Infants and Children) Program information on a regular basis.

  • SNAP and SNAP-ED NY - Learn how to apply for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) monthly benefits to purchase food (food stamps) via visits from Feeding Westchester staff/volunteers who are at the Pantry regularly. SNAP-ED NY is a statewide program that teaches people how to shop for and cook healthy meals on a limited budget. A representative from the Cornell Cooperative Extension presenting SNAP-ED nutrition lessons and food demonstrations is at the Pantry once per month.

  • Westchester County Department of Health - regular scheduled visits to the Pantry to assist with navigating New York’s Health Plan Marketplace.

  • Westchester Library System - periodic visits to the Pantry offering library card registration and information on how to use the library and what is offered locally at Mount Kisco Library.