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Not-for-Profits, Organizations Continuing to Serve Needy During Crisis

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March 21, 2020

Non-profits, particularly those providing food delivery to low-income and elderly residents, need funding now more than ever. Here are ones in the rivertowns and elsewhere in Westchester that support those in need:

The Westchester Community Foundation, which aggregates and distributes donor funds to non-profits in the county, has just gotten a matching grant of $1 million which they will be distributing in the coming weeks in coordination with other donor agencies. To add to that match, go to https://www.wcf-ny.org and click on the Westchester COVID-19 Response Fund.

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Food Pantries/Food Distribution:

Feeding Westchester www.feedingwestchester.org/donation-page is probably the most active and effective source of food and non-food goods like diapers and cleaning supplies. They are ramping up their distribution system using National Guard troops.

CommunityFoodPantrySHTT.org is doing an extra distribution this coming Thursday, March 26 from 8:15 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. They are seeking donations from the community to help offset the costs of the distributions.

Through March 31, the Public Schools of the Tarrytowns are offering student food distribution. Breakfast and lunch “grab and go” pickup begins for all school and preschool age students who reside in the District. This will occur Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in front of Sleepy Hollow Middle School.

DobbsFerryFoodPantry.org works out of South Presbyterian Church and coordinates with Cabrini and Midnight Run.

Team Rubicon is currently serving in communities across the country by providing assistance such as delivery service for food-insecure populations. An on-site at Feeding Westchester in Elmsford, the group helps to ensure the at-risk community receives meals. Team Rubicon is 501(c)3 nonprofit that mobilizes veterans to continue their service, leveraging their skills and experience to help people prepare, respond, and recover from disasters and humanitarian crises. For more information, visit www.TeamRubiconUSA.org.

Public Health:

Though authorities discourage going directly into urgent care centers in search of COVID-19 testing, help and information can be obtained from the following:

Westchester County Department of Health Coronavirus Hotline: (914) 813-5159 . For details about the coronavirus and how it may affect your area, you can call the number above, Mon.-Fri. and (914) 813-5000, after hours.

Open Door Family Medical Centers https://www.opendoormedical.org.

New York Blood Center (NYBC) is extending open hours at its donor centers and urging healthy donors to make appointments to help maintain the region’s blood supply at this critical time.

“Around 75% of our incoming blood supply was interrupted when schools, businesses and religious institutions closed due to the coronavirus outbreak. In response, we’ve increased capacity at our donor centers by extending hours and opening for extra days each week. These modifications will provide controlled, safe environments for healthy donors. By quickly implementing this sustainable long-term solution we have worked to prevent our blood supply from dropping to dangerously low levels,” said Christopher D. Hillyer, M.D., President and CEO of New York Blood Center.

Blood is perishable and the supply must be continually replenished. NYBC operates 19 donor centers across New York, including in Elmsford. Donors can schedule appointments by calling 1-800-933-2566 or visiting nybc.org/coronavirus.

Blood collection sites are disinfected frequently, and extra precautions are being taken to help prevent the person-to-person spread of COVID-19 as per CDC recommendations. NYBC staff are also practicing health self-assessments prior to presenting at work. As always, people are not eligible to donate if they’re experiencing a cold, sore throat, respiratory infection or flu-like symptoms.

In order to protect our staff, healthy blood donors and our community blood supply, people must avoid donor centers if they are experiencing a fever or other symptoms of COVID-19 (cough, shortness of breath, or difficulty breathing), have had close contact with someone diagnosed with or suspected of having COVID-19 in the last 14 days, or been diagnosed with or suspected of having COVID-19 until 28 days after their illness has resolved. NYBC does NOT test for COVID-19.

Phelps Hospital has set up a system to help ensure that its staff of frontline caregivers is being properly fed during their efforts to maintain top service through the long hours they are working as the result of the COVID-19 crisis. And, the Hospital is asking for community support.

Phelps has established an account with Meal Train to provide lunch, dinner and overnight meals to the doctors, nurses, techs, respiratory staff and others among the front-line caregivers. It is seeking the public’s help, “however you can.”

That request quickly translated into a donation of $600 by the Rotary Club of the Tarrytowns, and J.P. Doyles in Sleepy Hollow will be providing the initial meal from that funding. Individual Rotary members are also contributing, and the Rotary has set up a link for Rotary members and the public to donate on its website at http://www.tarrytownrotary.org/

Mental Health:

Family Services of Westchester www.fsw.org is gearing up to conduct remote counseling via phone and videoconferencing, for which they will need funding.

Legal Services:

Pace Law Center defends against domestic abuse, which is a problem when families are shut in.: www.law.pace.edu/wjc.

My Sisters Place: www.mspny.org.

Hopes Door: www.hopesdoor.org.

Legal Services of the Hudson Valley: lshv.org.

Legal Aid Society of Westchester: nyconects.ny.gov

Transportation/Shopping:

It Takes A Village (ITAV) will provide transportation services as long as volunteers are available. Whether ITAV has a volunteer or not the service coordinator will do their best to coordinate service and /or help to address the need. Service providers and members will choose whether or not to participate in providing /receiving services. What does this do?

Allows ITAV to continue to provide transportation for those who are not sickened and truly in need. Several members count on us regularly.
As per current CDC guidelines we should all limit our contact (social distancing) with others. Therefore, ITAV requests when requesting transportation please consider whether it’s truly necessary.

Drivers who choose to not participate will be removed from the availability schedule. Members need do nothing if they choose to not participate.

Grocery shopping / Medications:

If you call ITAV at 914-222-5116 it will do its best to request volunteer help to shop and deliver groceries and /or medication. In case service coordinators cannot locate a volunteer listed below are a few local establishments that provide shopping and delivery services. Please contact them to ask about setting this up. You should ask what guidelines and fees, if any, there are.

C-Town Supermarket – 114 North Broadway Tarrytown, 914-332-7400

Stop & Shop – 610 White Plains Road Tarrytown, 914-631-8566

CVS Pharmacy – 51 North Broadway Tarrytown, 914-631-7266

If you have any deliveries of groceries or medication you should request the delivery person call you before they arrive with the delivery. Groceries/ medications should be left outside your door for the protection of yourself as well as the delivery person.

Prepared Meals Delivery:

If you order meals, ask the delivery person to call you he/she arrives and to leave your order outside your door. This is for the protection of yourself as well as the delivery person. If you need help ordering meals from local restaurants, grocery stores, fast food establishments etc. please call ITAV at 914-222-5116 for assistance. The following services provide prepared meal deliveries:

Grub Hub – www.ubereats.com The delivery fee is waived for the first order.

Doordash – www.doordash.com You can order food from chain restaurants, such as McDonalds, along with a few local restaurants. (See article “Food for Thought in Hard Times” for a full list of local restaurants that deliver and grocery stores open early for seniors, those with disabilities or suppressed immune systems if travel is an option.)

For a comprehensive listing of local food and beverage businesses offering delivery and curbside pick-up services, please visit: https://thehudsonindependent.com/food-for-thought-in-hard-times/

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