West Side Center for Community Life (d.b.a. West Side Campaign Against Hunger)

Through its Healthy Neighborhoods Fund initiative, NYHealth is supporting six communities across New York State to become healthier, more active places. Although all the communities are working toward the common goal of improving the health of their residents, each community may face particular challenges. By offering responsive and time-sensitive technical assistance funding to grantees and their partners, NYHealth can help them meet their goals. In 2018, NYHealth awarded the West Side Campaign Against Hunger (WSCAH) a grant to partner with New York City emergency food provision organizations to bring fresh, local, healthy food to food insecure residents.

Under this grant, WSCAH partnered with New York City’s largest emergency food provision organizations to pilot the Collective Purchasing Alliance. The Alliance harnessed the collective purchasing power of the City’s network of more than 1,000 emergency food organizations to bring fresh, local, healthy food to food insecure residents. The formation and implementation of the Alliance reduced costs for emergency food organizations; increased the quality of food available for New Yorkers facing food insecurity; facilitated stronger collaboration among emergency feeding organizations; and created innovation in the work of feeding communities in need.