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FROM CLIENT TO LEADER As any parent of growing boys knows, they eat — A LOT. But in NYC, where one in 10 families with children experience food hardship, Ramona Nivar, a resilient single mother of three sons, struggled to keep her children fed. the adaptability and commitment of WSCAH to serve the community’s evolving needs.
Motivated by gratitude and a desire to give back, Ramona began volunteering for WSCAH, serving families just like her own. Her journey took a remarkable turn as she ascended to become a WSCAH customer board member, where her firsthand experiences and deep connection to the community now influence the organization’s decisions, ensuring that the voices of those in need are heard. Ramona’s transition from pantry visitor to board member is a testament to the transformative impact that supportive organizations like WSCAH, with Robin Hood’s backing, can have on individuals and communities. In Ramona’s words, “Being a single mom that used to go to the food pantry at 86th Street, and now [being] part of the board directors, means a lot to me, and I feel proud of myself.” Ramona’s story is an inspiration, highlighting the importance of accessible support systems and the incredible potential for personal growth within the framework of community aid. Ramona doesn’t see asking for help as a sign of weakness but, like Robin Hood, views it as a courageous step toward a brighter future. Robin Hood has invested more than $8 million in WSCAH, helping thousands of families like Ramona’s over decades. Additionally, WSCAH recently opened a new state-of-the-art food storage and distribution hub in Washington Heights, further cementing its role as a major player in the emergency food ecosystem and a reliable resource to New Yorkers. We’re proud to support New Yorkers like Ramona and their families, and because of donors like you, our partnership with WSCAH continues to grow and thrive.
“I was going through a really difficult time, so my social worker suggested that I go to West Side Campaign Against Hunger for the food that my family needed,” said Ramona. The West Side Campaign Against Hunger (WSCAH) is a deeply embedded community- based organization serving Harlem and Manhattan’s West Side. Its mission is to alleviate hunger by ensuring access with dignity to healthy food and supportive services. A longtime Robin Hood grantee, WSCAH provides emergency food — from hot meals to food pantries and grocery deliveries — to more than 27,000 families annually, delivering 3.9 million pounds of food to New Yorkers in need. Through WSCAH, Ramona discovered a lifeline; not only did she receive essential food, but she found a supportive community. Like everyone who walks through WSCAH’s front door, Ramona was paired with a caseworker who advises on benefits access and other resources and services. WSCAH has been a Robin Hood grantee since 2002, and thanks to the generosity of our donors, is now a leader and innovator in NYC’s emergen- cy food access and advocacy ecosystem. As a founding member of the Allies for Food Access Roundtable, WSCAH leads this consortium of emergency food providers (and other fellow Robin Hood grantees) to explore collective purchasing, a groundbreaking cost-saving approach to strengthen our city’s emergency food safety net and innovate distribution efforts, especially during times of crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic. One effort, the introduction of food delivery from the pantry to a client’s doorstep, was pivotal for Ramona and, to her, exemplified
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
Ramona’s transition from pantry visitor to board member is a testament to the transformative impact that supportive organizations like WSCAH, with Robin Hood’s backing, can have on individuals and communities.
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