Stop & Shop’s Turkey Express program donated 1250 Thanksgiving turkeys to Feeding Westchester and New Rochelle’s HOPE Community Services. Joining together in the fight against food insecurity in Westchester, New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson along with the New Rochelle Police Department, New Rochelle Department of Parks, and COVID-19 first responders teamed up with employees from Stop & Shop, Feeding Westchester and HOPE Community Services as they created a chain of giving with holiday turkeys for those in need across Westchester this holiday season.
Stop & Shop’s Turkey Express program will deliver nearly 22,000 turkeys to hunger relief organizations in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, & Rhode Island this holiday season.
“We know that food insecurity remains a challenge in New Rochelle and across Westchester,” said Maura O’Brien, Stop & Shop’s External Communications Manager. “Stop & Shop is proud to support Feeding Westchester and HOPE Community Services in their ongoing efforts to deliver hundreds of thousands of meals to our neighbors who need them the most.”
“We continue to be so grateful to Stop & Shop – our partners in hunger relief for more than two decades – for once again providing so many families throughout Westchester with holiday meals this season through their Turkey Express program,” said Karen C. Erren, President & CEO of Feeding Westchester. “With ongoing food shortages and steep cost increases across necessities, including food, dollars are spread even more thinly for our neighbors in need. Together, with the generosity of Stop & Shop we are able to provide food – and hope – for children, seniors, and families to enjoy a brighter holiday season.”
“Thanksgiving is time of for families to bond and reconnect. Having proper food on the table is a big part of that experience. It’s partners like Stop and Shop that really help our neighbors have that moment. We are blessed to have them as a partner." Walter Ritz, Executive Director HOPE Community Services
New Rochelle was ground zero when the COVID-19 pandemic began in March of 2020. New Rochelle and the greater Westchester community continue to be impacted nearly two years later. Both Feeding Westchester and HOPE Community Services are committed to meeting the food needs of those who are still negatively impacted by this crisis.
“Stop and Shop's generosity, combined with the ongoing, invaluable community service of HOPE and Feeding Westchester, will help ensure that hundreds of our neighbors can have a Happy Thanksgiving,” said New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bransom. “May we honor the spirit of the season by supporting each other."
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020:
•Feeding Westchester has provided more than 38 million pounds of food, 21 million meals through daily distributions to community partners and meal programs to help them serve the growing number of people seeking assistance.
•HOPE Community Services provided over 2 million meals to the community in 2021, included creating a Senior Delivery Program, Mobile Pantry, Kosher Pantry, and Child Hunger Initiatives.
• Stop & Shop has donated 539,681 pounds of food to Feeding Westchester since the onset of the pandemic, 370,148 pounds in 2021
• Last year, the annual Stuff-the-Bus Food Drive held in all Westchester Stop & Shop stores in conjunction with the BeeLine collected 11,492 pounds of donated food. Customers can donate to the 2021 Stuff-the-Bus in all Stop & Shop stores through Friday, November 12.