In the business of feeding the hungry, this bank is booming

Executive Director of Food Bank for Westchester Christina Rohatynskyj accepts a $4,000 donation from the Chappaqua Rotary
See inside for volunteer opportunities
December 18, 2009
by Christine Yeres

Nancy Lyons, resource volunteer coordinator of the Food Bank for Westchester reports that although their next Saturday volunteer opportunity, on January 9, is already fully booked, they need help all 12 months of the year from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturdays. Individuals or service groups can come to help sort through donated goods and repackage large quantities of items such as 50 pound bags of pasta and beans into one- and two-pound bags. 

The third Thursday of each month at the Food Bank, located at 358 Saw Mill River Road in Millwood, is “Community Service Night,” from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and there are weekday opportunities to lend a hand, too.  More than ever before, the Food Bank now receives large quantities of fresh fruits and vegetables. On Mondays and Tuesdays, from 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon the Food Bank needs help packing these for a project called “Green Thumb.”  The Food Bank recently received a donation of navel oranges and grapefruit from the Greeley Band, Chorus and Orchestra’s citrus sale.

From October through December the Food Bank is pretty rich in volunteers, but there are plenty of soup kitchens and food pantries that welcome helpers all year round. Check out the Food Bank for Westchester’s web site, click HERE to locate them by town. 

Lyons can arrange group volunteer opportunities for Scout troops or corporate groups or any kind of service organization. She’s seen several such groups come help out together in lieu of a holiday office party. To speak to Lyons about how you can help at the Food Bank, call 941-1100.