Stop & Shop donates 25,000 Thanksgiving turkeys to food banks and food pantries across five states.
(Courtesy of Stop & Shop) Seventh- and eighth-grade students from the Transfiguration Catholic School in Tarrytown and The Leffell School, a Jewish day school in White Plains, participated in a chain of giving when Stop & Shop donated 1,250 Thanksgiving turkeys to Feeding Westchester, as part of Stop & Shop’s annual Turkey Express program, in which 25,000 turkeys will be distributed to food banks and food pantries in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
“With many of our neighbors facing continued hardship, the work that food banks and hunger relief organizations continue to do for our communities is essential, especially during the holiday season,” said Gordon Reid, president of Stop & Shop. “We are thankful for their partnership and that of our supplier partner Shady Brook Farms as we work together to help ensure more families are able to enjoy a holiday meal with loved ones this year.”
The two faith-based schools teach their students the importance of providing for those in need and the obligation to engage in charitable activities to make our community and world a better place. This program will not only assist Feeding Westchester in helping County residents in need, but will also allow these youngsters from different faith communities to come together and see how the concepts they are taught in their classroom settings can be put to use and have significant impact to their neighbors in need across Westchester.
“We are very excited for our students to be involved in this event,” said Transfiguration School Principal Margaret Kazan. “Service is important at Transfiguration as it connects us to the broader community and promotes social and emotional skills. Our students are proud to be working with The Leffell School to help so many families get their Thanksgiving turkeys.”
“We are so grateful to have the opportunity, along with The Transfiguration School, to join Stop & Shop, Feeding Westchester and the greater Westchester community in support of this essential work,” said Rena Sichel Rosen, associate middle school principal of The Leffell School.
“Repairing the world is a value that we as a school hold dear, and our students are honored to have the opportunity to contribute to those in need. We feel fortunate to have participated in an event that allows us to help others be able to celebrate the holidays with dignity and gratitude.”
According to Feeding Westchester, the need for food is still elevated and shows no signs of decreasing. Inflation and incredibly high food prices mean that more people are struggling and more people will have to make hard choices between paying for food and other important expenses, like heat and medical bills.
Feeding Westchester’s hunger-relief network is serving more than 200,000 people each month.
Feeding Westchester delivered more than 19 million pounds of food, equivalent to 16 million meals, from July 2021 to June 2022.
Feeding Westchester distributed nearly 20% more food than originally projected in the past several months.
Two in five (37%) of Westchester households are at risk of hunger.
80% of Feeding Westchester’s partners said they are feeding more people and serving more food this year than last year.
Every $1 donated to Feeding Westchester provides up to three meals for local children, seniors and families struggling with hunger.
“One of the most compelling components of hunger relief is that it truly is neighbors helping neighbors,“ said Feeding Westchester President and Chief Executive Officer Karen Erren. “Feeding Westchester is so appreciative to Stop & Shop and the students from Transfiguration and The Leffell School for helping us ensure that all of our neighbors have a turkey on their table, to nourish both their bodies and family celebrations, this holiday season.”
To learn more about Stop & Shop’s efforts to support hunger relief and give back to the communities it serves, please visit https://stopandshop.com/pages/our-purpose.
