United Way’s Partnership with H.O.P.E. Community Service is ‘Vital’ to helping the people of New Rochelle

UNITED, we can change lives.
In the midst of the economic crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, H.O.P.E. Community Service in New Rochelle has been distributing food and providing other services to thousands of families. However, a wrench was thrown into its capacity when its commercial air conditioning unit broke during the hot days of summer. As a result, produce was going bad quickly and the team of staff and volunteers were working in sweltering conditions.
The United Way awarded H.O.P.E. Community Service a grant for $8,000 to go toward the air conditioning repair, in addition to other funding that the former distributed to the latter earlier in the year. Collectively, H.O.P.E. Community Service has received $46,500 through the United Way as well as thousands of essential goods to distribute to their clients.
“The partnership we have with United Way has been vital to our ability to meet the increased need in the community,” said Walter Ritz, Executive Director of H.O.P.E. Community Service. “United Way has helped our food efforts by not only providing us the means to purchase more food but by awarding us funds to fix our air conditioning unit, has provided us the capacity to keep the food we do get fresh longer. Through the Emergency Food and Shelter Program, HOPE was granted money to help with eviction and foreclosure prevention. In addition, it has supplied essential goods such as socks, school supplies, and books to support our families.”
H.O.P.E. Community Service was also a recipient of UWWP’s COVID-19 Response Grants and of the Emergency Food and Shelter Program.