Previous Charitable Partners

Food P.A.T.C.H. – The mission of Food P.A.T.C.H. (People Allied to Combat Hunger) is to alleviate hunger and minimize food waste in Westchester County, New York. Last year, the organization distributed 5.2 million pounds of food to more than 200,000 hungry people. Food P.A.T.C.H. is in the midst of a two-year, $4.2-million capital campaign to construct a new warehouse that will increase its capacity to meet the needs of more of Westchester’s hungry residents. The new facility will enable Food P.A.T.C.H. to accept the trucks that would bring an additional 2.3 million pounds of food per year.

The Mental Health Association of Westchester County, Inc. – Founded in 1946, this is a charitable organization dedicated to promoting mental health through advocacy, community education and direct services. MHA is committed to the belief that mental wellness is essential and that everyone has the right to quality mental health care. MHA serves as the leading resource in Westchester County for helping children, adults and families cope with domestic abuse, mental illness, advocacy concerns and trauma. Their mission is to provide quality services to those in greatest need and who are least likely to receive help elsewhere. MHA never turns anyone away due to an inability to pay. Dedicated staff and volunteers bring vital services to more than 11,000 members of our community each year.

Top Chefs Soups, a project of Westhab – Westhab is a not-for-profit provider of housing and social services for homeless and low-income families in Westchester County. In 2004, the organization launched a program called Top Chefs Soups, employing homeless heads-of-households living in Westhab family shelters in packaging six delicious gourmet dried bean soup mixes. Recipes for the soup mixes were created by top Westchester chefs from Abigail Kirsch of Tappan Hill; Sam’s of Gedney Way; Zuppa Restaurant and Lounge; The Willett House; Le Chateau and Peter Kelly of Xaviar’s. In their three months of paid work for Top Chefs Soups employees learn all aspects of the production process as well as the "soft skills" necessary to become responsible employees in the marketplace (e.g. teamwork, taking direction, punctuality). This Fall, a variety of Top Chefs Soups mixes will be available at Connie’s Bakery & General Store.

Back to School Clothes for Kids – "Back To School Clothes For Kids" is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization that distributes new clothes and school supplies to needy youngsters throughout Westchester County. It was created in 1985 by Connie Kennedy, who believes that "having decent clothes and sufficient school supplies helps (kids) feel good about themselves and helps improve their school performance." Over the past two decades, nearly 8000 youngsters have returned to school outfitted for success, thanks to the unique partnership of the "Back to School" project, individual contributors and the corporate support of the Westchester Business Volunteer Council. The WBVC consists of more than 40 Westchester-based companies whose mission is to provide leadership in meeting community needs through mobilization of employee volunteers.

Support Connection Inc. – The mission of Support Connection is to provide emotional, social, and educational support services to women, their families and friends affected by breast and ovarian cancer. The support provided enables women to help each other and empowers them to become their own health care advocates. Based in Yorktown Heights and serving people from Westchester, Putnam and throughout the country, Support Connection has provided free and confidential support services to more than 5,000 people affected by breast and ovarian cancer since opening their doors in 1996.

The Northern Westchester Shelter – Northern Westchester Shelter is a private non-profit organization, founded in 1980 to provide a safe haven and caring services to survivors of domestic violence. Their programs are designed to help victims of abuse achieve safety, explore their options, and evolve from victim to survivor. They are free, confidential and offered in both English and Spanish. Emergency Shelter Program, 24-Hour Hotline, Safety Planning, Counseling and Advocacy Services, legal services, support groups and many others.

In addition to our charitable partners, we would like to tell you about a great program at Westchester Community College through which we found Connie’s first group of baking apprentices. If you own a restaurant or catering business, we encourage you to check it out:

JobSTAR – A collaboration between Westchester Community College and the Westchester County Department of Social Services and has been providing educational training, case management and job placement services to individuals and families receiving Public Assistance since 1990. The employees in our baking apprenticeship program are all graduates of the JobSTAR Food Preparation/Sanitation Certification program, which teaches the basic skills required for entry level jobs in the food service industry while preparing participants to earn or renew their ServSAVE Sanitation Certification offered through the Educational Foundation of the National Restaurant Association.