Our Story
WSCAH has grown exponentially over the past 45 years, but our commitment to the foundational values of dignity, community, and choice has never wavered.
1979: We Serve People
WSCAH started in 1979 with a $5,000 grant to feed hungry New Yorkers living on the Upper West Side. In our first week, we served seven people in the basement of St. Paul & St. Andrew Church on 86th Street and West End Avenue. Today, we support over 100,000 people across NYC.
1979: We Serve People
WSCAH started in 1979 with a $5,000 grant to feed hungry New Yorkers living on the Upper West Side. In our first week, we served seven people in the basement of St. Paul & St. Andrew Church on 86th Street and West End Avenue. Today, we support over 100,000 people across NYC.
1993: We Pioneer Choice
As NYC has changed and grown, our customers have changed as well—and we’ve evolved with them, always ensuring dignity and choice are at the heart of the work we do. In 1993, we pioneered a customer-choice super-market style pantry on the principle that people should be able to choose what they want to eat from a variety of healthy options. While waiting to shop, customers could get screened by our staff for eligibility for vital supportive benefits.
2017: We Expand Access
Our model was popular, and we began to see more and more families traveling from across the city to reach us. In 2017 WSCAH launched our first community distribution sites in Northern Manhattan and the Bronx to bring food to our customers. We have since expanded this program to dozens of sites across the city. Now, roughly half of WSCAH’s 100,000+ annual customers receive their food close to home.
2017: We Expand Access
Our model was popular, and we began to see more and more families traveling from across the city to reach us. In 2017 WSCAH launched our first community distribution sites in Northern Manhattan and the Bronx to bring food to our customers. We have since expanded this program to dozens of sites across the city. Now, roughly half of WSCAH’s 100,000+ annual customers receive their food close to home.
2018: We Innovate
In 2018, WSCAH led the founding of The Roundtable: Allies for Food Access, the first and only NYC network of emergency food providers. Now comprised of eight of NYC's largest providers, the Roundtable works together to lower costs, share best practices, and advocate for policies that satisfy the needs of local communities.
2020: We Meet Massive Demand
When Covid hit in 2020, we expanded our distribution model to meet a massive need. Almost immediately, we became a citywide organization serving more than 70,000 customers annually
At this point, we began distributing a minimum of 50% fresh produce.
2020: We Meet Massive Demand
When Covid hit in 2020, we expanded our distribution model to meet a massive need. Almost immediately, we became a citywide organization serving more than 70,000 customers annually
At this point, we began distributing a minimum of 50% fresh produce.
2022: We Initiate Home Delivery
In 2022, we began collaborating with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital to help serve our most vulnerable customers, including families with young children and older adults. The program has since grown to 1,000 households, and now provides twice-monthly deliveries of food directly to their doorsteps.
2023: The Roundtable Takes More Action
The Roundtable launched its first bulk purchasing program, delivering trailer loads of oats, milk, chickpeas, and rice across the network. Today the Roundtable continues to pursue models that lower costs and best serve our communities.
2023: The Roundtable Takes More Action
The Roundtable launched its first bulk purchasing program, delivering trailer loads of oats, milk, chickpeas, and rice across the network. Today the Roundtable continues to pursue models that lower costs and best serve our communities.
2024: We Grow
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, WSCAH has been playing a frontline role in addressing the ongoing hunger crisis in NYC. Despite the challenges posed by elevated food prices, reduced government benefits, and an increasing demand for food assistance, we continue to serve New Yorkers with dignity, ensuring access to healthy food and essential services.
To support our growing network of local food access points and expanding Roundtable bulk and food rescue initiatives, we opened a 13,000 square foot food storage and distribution hub in January 2024. This new warehouse represents a milestone for WSCAH and the broader emergency feeding sector. It goes beyond being just a warehouse, facilitating teamwork across our organization with over 3,000 square feet of office, meeting, and volunteer space. This 13,000 square foot facility has increased our dry storage capacity by 3.5 times (new capacity 80,000 lbs.), freezer capacity by 10 times (new capacity 36,000 lbs.), and refrigeration capacity by 30 times (new capacity 54,000 lbs.). In total, it can comfortably accommodate 170,000 lbs. of food.
