Harckham-Led Holiday Food Drive In Katonah Fills More Than Stockings

KATONAH, NY — The community came together recently to make sure everyone has a full plate this holiday season.

NYS Sen. Pete Harckham held a special holiday food drive on Dec. 17, at the Katonah Elementary School, and collected food and cash donations for the food pantry at the Community Center of Northern Westchester.

"So many of our neighbors are still facing food insecurity, which is why we cannot let up our fight against hunger in our communities," Harckham said. "Events like this food drive help keep our local food pantries stocked and also continue to raise awareness of this situation. As always, I am thankful to all those who donated and for the many volunteers who made this a successful event."

In the 15 prior food drives since March 2020 — one each in Sleepy Hollow, Ossining, Mohegan Lake, Bedford, Brewster, Pleasantville, Croton-on-Hudson, Somers, Yorktown Heights and two drives in Carmel, Mount Kisco and Peekskill — Harckham and volunteers have collected over 50,000 pounds of food and over $12,000 in cash donations.

The food drive in Katonah was a "Drive-Thru, Drop Off" event, where food was only collected and not distributed. Volunteers collected bags and boxes of food from each vehicle, with drivers being able to stay in their vehicles.

The Community Center of Northern Westchester has helped to provide food assistance to some of the neediest members of the Katonah, Bedford and Bedford Hills communities since 1991. Families are able to shop for their food and choose their items from the pantry’s shelves. Volunteers also deliver food to seniors or those with underlying health issues.

"Unfortunately, too many residents are still food insecure in our communities," Pereira said. "Donations like this go a long way to securing their needs. I am grateful to Senator Harckham, his staff and all the volunteers for holding this food drive. The community’s generosity, especially here at the holidays, is much appreciated as well."

The food pantry received 957 visits between December 1 through December 14, offering food assistance to about 2,260 individuals, according to Anthony Pereira, operations assistant at the Community Center of Northern Westchester.

"We truly appreciate the support of our community in meeting the needs of increasing numbers of seniors and children who are relying on our help," Clare Murray, Executive Director of the Community Center of Northern Westchester, said.