Food Bank for Westchester Names New Executive Director

ELMSFORD, N.Y. - April 24, 2013 - PRLog -- The Food Bank for Westchester, which has been fighting hunger for 25 years, has appointed White Plains resident Ellen Lynch as executive director. Formerly, Ms. Lynch was president and CEO of the Yonkers Industrial Development Agency. In her new role at the Food Bank, Ms. Lynch will guide the organization’s funding and operations to build capacity at the new Elmsford facility. In 2012, the Food Bank moved from a 15,000-sq.-ft. warehouse in Millwood to a 37,000-sq.-ft. facility in Elmsford to better serve hungry Westchester residents.

“We are thrilled with the appointment of Ellen Lynch as executive director,” said Food Bank Chairman of the Board Rick Rakow. “She is a results-oriented civic-minded leader with a talent for team-building and gaining community loyalty. She is just the person needed to lead the Food Bank forward in these economically difficult times when more people than ever are hungry right here in Westchester County.”

The Food Bank estimates that 200,000 people in Westchester, or about 1 in 5 county residents, are hungry or at risk of hunger. Half of them are seniors; a third are children age 18 and under. The Food Bank distributes 14 tons of food a day to frontline hunger-relief programs, such as food pantries and soup kitchens. It provides 95% of all the food these organizations give to hungry people as cooked meals or groceries to take home. Last year, the Food Bank distributed nearly 7 million pounds of food, but even that was not enough to keep up with the rising demand.

“I am grateful for this opportunity to join the incredible team of professionals, board members and other volunteers at the Food Bank for Westchester,” said Ms. Lynch. “At the core of my professional and personal life has been a commitment to promoting and improving the quality of life for people in Westchester County. Through my work on not-for-profit boards, I have focused on initiatives that have benefited my community in a meaningful way. What better way to improve the lives of many people in Westchester than to make a real and direct difference for those most vulnerable: the children, seniors and families who are hungry or living with food insecurity.”

Prior to heading the Yonkers Industrial Development Agency, Ms. Lynch worked as senior vice-president and managing director at White Plains-based Albert B. Ashforth/EastRidge Properties and as director of Operations, Construction and Tenant Services at Schulman Realty Group. She holds a B.A. from Skidmore College and a Masters in Organizational Leadership and Strategic Management from Manhattanville College. Her numerous not-for-profit board affiliations and memberships include the Westchester Coalition for Business Development, the Business Council of Westchester, the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, and the Yonkers Chamber of Commerce. She lives in White Plains with her husband, Dennis Morrissey.