Local Westchester Pantry Giving Tree Global Helps With Food Insecurity Ahead of Holiday Season

Since the pandemic, food insecurity in families with children, the elderly and communities of color has increased. This past year 44 million people, 13 million of whom are children, have dealt with some form of hunger. The rising inflation rate and skyrocketing food prices have left many Americans fearful that they may be one missed paycheck away from this reality.  

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“We didn’t realize there was so much hunger in Westchester County,” Sherri Falco, the owner of Giving Tree Global said. “We started this pantry in 2013 after we received a donation of bagels. I told my husband we need to find some hungry people.”

Pastors Pasquale and Sherri Falco started the Giving Tree Global in 2013 and it has grown to become a community wide outreach program to help those suffering from hunger. They work with grocery stores and restaurants to recover edible food that might otherwise be discarded and deliver it to 13 locations around the county. They rescue close to 63,000 pounds of food weekly which helps feed the 200,000 people living with food insecurity in the community.

“ We rescue about 2 million pounds of food each year that would otherwise go in the garbage,” Falco said. “During covid all the pantries closed and we stayed open and people were out in the streets lined up.”

The Falco’s operate the pantry out of their home on a quiet residential street in Rye. The food and donated goods are neatly stacked on shelves in their basement.

“We try to be very respectful because this is a residential neighborhood,” Falcos said. “We pop up the tent on Monday morning at 10am and it comes down by 2pm. No one even knows it’s here.”

The Giving Tree Global supports those with food insecurity all year around and welcomes donations through their website.

“I think it really changes everyone – not just the people we serve but the volunteers too,” Falco said.