NBC4, Telemundo 47, and Port Chester Stop & Shop to hold food drive

Feeding Westchester and The Food Bank of the Hudson Valley are teaming up with NBC 4 New York / WNBC, Telemundo 47 / WNJU and Stop & Shop on Saturday, September 9th for the Feeding Our Families / Alimentando a Nuestras Familias food collection and volunteer recruitment drive. A massive, one-day multi-state effort to help eradicate local hunger. The other food banks across the Tri-State to benefit from this effort include; Food Bank for New York City, Fulfill, Community FoodBank of New Jersey, Island Harvest Food Bank, Long Island Cares and Connecticut Foodshare.

Feeding Our Families events will take place at nearly 200 Tri-State Stop & Shop locations between the hours of 8 AM and 6 PM. NBC 4 New York and Telemundo 47 will deliver live reports and broadcast cut-ins from local Stop & Shop locations. This includes NBC 4 New York’s Weekend Today in New York at 8:30 AM and News 4 New York at 6 PM, and on Telemundo 47’s Noticiero 47 Telemundo at 6 PM.

The community can visit any one of these locations to donate non-perishables food and personal hygiene items to help their neighbors in need. Please visit NBCNewYork.com/fooddrive or telemundo47.com/ayuda to access a map of store locations. You can also follow the campaign on social media or post your own photos on September 9th using the hashtags #FOF, #FeedingOurFamilies or #T47Alimentando

Stop & Shop is one of the Tri-State’s largest supermarket retailers, and the brand has been a strong partner of area food banks and hunger relief organizations for many years. In 2023 alone, Stop & Shop has donated over $2.4 million in cash contributions to the eight participating food bank partners across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. In 2019, Stop & Shop launched the Stop & Shop School Food Pantry Program, to work directly with schools from Pre-K through college to establish and support their in-school food pantries. This program has continued to expand, and Stop & Shop now supports more than 180 school food pantries across its entire footprint, including more than 100 school pantries within the Tri-State area.

"Feeding Westchester is so honored to once again be a recipient of the Stop & Shop Feeding our Families initiative,” said Karen C. Erren, president & CEO of Feeding Westchester. “Things are so hard for so many in our community right now, particularly with the high cost of living and inflation. The food and funds from this campaign will ensure that many of our neighbors, including school children, college students, hard-working families, veterans and seniors, have much-needed food on their tables."

“Stop & Shop is a longtime partner of the Food Bank, providing generous food and financial donations to support our mission to increase food access and eliminate hunger for children and families,” said Tom Nardacci, CEO of the Regional Food Bank. "Thanks to the generosity of Stop & Shop's Expanded Food Donation Program, the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley and our partner agencies have year-to-date received nearly 650,000 pounds of meat, produce, dairy and other products from 12 stores across Duchess, Orange, Putnam and Rockland counties. This much needed, nutritious food made it possible to provide over 536,000 meals to our Hudson Valley neighbors."

DONATIONS:

Non-perishable food and personal hygiene items, including frequently requested items like baby diapers are most in need. The food banks also suggest donations of: Canned proteins, soups and vegetables, dried beans, fruit, herbs and peanut butter.

Other suggested items on the Feeding Families Shopping list include:

• Grains: barley, oats, oatmeal, quinoa and rice.
• Milk: Shelf-Stable or Dried ONLY
• Spices: adobo, cumin, curry, garlic, pepper and salt.
• Condiments: ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard and salad dressings.
• Baby Products: diapers, formula, food and hygiene products.
• Hygiene: feminine products including liners, sanitary pads, tampons, deodorant, soap, shampoo, shaving cream, and toothpaste.
• Household: aluminum foil, cleaners, garbage bags, napkins and paper towels.

PLEASE NOTE: No perishable dairy, glass or produce can be accepted.

“This is a critical time for our food banks. With the start of school just around the corner and the holidays quickly approaching, they need non-perishable food donations right now,” said Eric Lerner, President and General Manager of NBC 4 New York. “Our WNBC team is passionate about fighting hunger and supporting the work of our local food banks. That is why we are hosting Feeding our Families on Saturday, September 9; a massive one-day food drive that will generate hundreds of thousands of meals for Tri-State families in need.”

“The loss of a job, a long-term illness or any number of unexpected circumstances can lead us to choose between paying the rent and putting food on the table. It does not have to be this way - and that is why our food banks are so important,” said Cristina Schwarz, President and General Manager of Telemundo 47. “The food banks are that first line of defense for all of us, and they are ready to lend a helping hand regardless of where you live, the language you speak or your immigration status. Our Alimentando a Nuestras Familias campaign will help Tri-State food banks meet the growing demand and continue their important work.”

“We are incredibly excited to bring back this beloved community event with our partners NBC 4 New York and Telemundo 47, and to rally alongside our customers to help in the fight against hunger,” said Jennifer Barr, Stop & Shop Director of External Communications and Community Relations. “Making sure our neighbors in the communities we serve have access to nutritious food is important to us – and if we all work together, we can help put an end to hunger in the Tri-State area.”

With food banks also in need of new volunteers, NBC 4 New York and Telemundo 47 are encouraging viewers to “Give 4” and commit four hours of their time every four months at a local food bank. Volunteers can stock shelves, pack supplies and make local deliveries. They can also conduct non-physical, customized tasks including accounting, social media, digital marketing and advertising, among others. Food Bank volunteer signup sheets will be available on event day at each Stop & Shop location.