Yonkers Public Library
Yonkers Public Library

Westchester County Creates Program To Help Local Restaurants Who Are In Need During The Covid-19 Pandemic

Community Table Partnership Program Awards 17 Grants to Nonprofits serving 21 Communities

Recognizing that the restaurant industry is both a significant economic driver and a tool to address hunger locally, Westchester County has established an innovative program to help local restaurants recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Community Table Partnership enables local Chambers of Commerce or non-profit agencies to apply for grants to help families struggling with food insecurity, while supporting the local restaurant industry. The County has awarded nearly $600,000 in grants to 17 different organizations that serve 21 communities across Westchester.

Latimer said: “The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted residents’ access to good nutritious food, and threatened the stability of our local restaurant industry. With the help of the Community Table Partnership Program, our most vulnerable families will be connected with the services and resources that they need through a true community, nonprofit, local business partnership.”

The Rivertowns Chamber Board Member Michelle Adams said:  The Community Table Partnership Grant is a forward-thinking solution that will bring together communities, keep people employed, and tackle unprecedented need. Neighborhoods understand the plummeting values that follow closed restaurants, shuttered windows, and high unemployment.

Grants that have been awarded through the Community Table Partnership Program can be used for the following:

  • Food vouchers that can be redeemed at participating restaurants, to be distributed to households impacted by COVID-19.
  • Distribution of cooked meals to households or individuals facing food insecurity, to be picked up or delivered to households impacted by COVID-19.

The not-for-profits who have been awarded grants include:

  • Tarrytown Rotary Club
  • The Rivertowns Chamber
  • Peekskill Rotary Club
  • Caritas of Port Chester
  • New Rochelle Chamber of Commerce
  • Friends of Theodore Young Community Center
  • Greater Ossining Chamber of Commerce
  • Mexican American Small Business Association
  • YWCA
  • El Centro Hispano
  • Community Resource Center
  • Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce
  • Gullotta House
  • Mount Kisco Chamber of Commerce