Food Bank for Westchester To Host 6th Annual Hunger Heroes Awards Breakfast

May 10, 2011 - PRLog -- The 20011 Hunger Heroes Awards Breakfast honors those who have made exceptional efforts in fighting hunger in Westchester this ear. Also presented will be the coveted Golden Scoop Award to the winner of the Give-Back Olympics, a friendly competition among corporate Food Bank supporters.

The awards and this year’s winners:

• The Service Provider Award recognizes an agency or program for its commitment to alleviating hunger and improving lives. This year’s winner is the Yonkers Family YMCA, one of the oldest and largest providers of multiple services in Yonkers. Yonkers Family YMCA has tackled the problem of hunger in multiple ways: The Kid’s Café; provides BackPack Buddies program; the Senior Feeding Program; and the Adult and Community Feeding soup kitchen.  In 2010, the Yonkers Family YMCA served 77,403 hot meals and handed out 1,700 BackPack bags of food.

•  The Volunteer Award recognizes a volunteer or group who have provided outstanding service helping to alleviate hunger in the community.  This year’s award winner is Hastings-on-Hudson resident Steven Hunt, a 15-year volunteer for the Sacred Heart Church (Dobbs Ferry) Food for the Hungry Program, which provides food every Saturday to St. Joseph’s Pantry in Yonkers. The program serves up to 1,200 families a month.

•  The Donor Award recognizes the generosity of an individual or corporation in the fight against hunger in Westchester. The 2011 Donor Award is being presented to Whole Foods Market-White Plains. It has been donating food weekly to the White Plains YWCA Women's Residence, which provides homes and services for 185 economically disadvantaged single women..

• The Corporate Service Award is bestowed on a corporation that supports the Food Bank comprehensively by volunteering, sponsoring food drives and providing financial support. The recipient is not revealed until the Awards Breakfast.

The Golden Scoop Award is given to the corporate team that repacks the most pounds of food in the Give-Back Olympics, an annual event held in the Food Bank warehouse in which corporate teams vie against each other. This year, the Olympics will be held Thursday May 19, beginning at 4:00 pm, and Friday, May 20. Last year’s Golden Scoop Award winner, Stop & Shop, will be battling to retain the award against teams from Bunge, Capital One Bank, PepsiCo, Pernod Ricard USA, Regeneron and Webster Bank.

Tickets to the Hunger Heroes Awards Breakfast are $50. Contact the Food Bank at (914) 923-1100 or log on to our website at www.foodbankforwestchester.org – to access the registration form.

The Food Bank for Westchester is located at 358 Saw Mill River Road, Millwood, NY 10546. Find us at www.foodbankforwestchester.org , (914) 923-1100.

MEDIA CONTACT:  
Jeanne Wilcox  (914) 923-1100         
Jeanne.wilcox@foodbankforwestchester.org

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The Food Bank for Westchester, one of eight food banks in New York State, acquires, warehouses and distributes more than six million pounds of food annually to over 200 Westchester County hunger-relief organizations, including food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, day care and residential programs. FBW's mission is to lead, engage and educate Westchester County in creating a hunger-free environment.