The Food Bank of Westchester was able to take one more giant step in the fight against hunger this week by tallying the final results of Westchester County’s “What Happens in August” food drive and accepting the largest donation of all – a $20,000 check from MBIA Inc.

The drive brought in more than 10,000 pounds of food, collected at 53 drop points throughout the county by a dozen municipalities and libraries and 11 county departments.

Willard Hill, managing director of MBIA Inc. and president of the MBIA Foundation Inc., visited the Food Bank for Westchester warehouse today to make one final – and by far the most generous – contribution. He presented a $20,000 check from the MBIA Foundation to Food Bank Director Christina Rohatynskyj, who accepted on behalf of the Millwood agency. Hill noted that MBIA has been in Westchester for 35 years and has made it its mission to support the community and apply the MBIA Foundation’s funds where the need is greatest.

“Every one of us – our employees, colleagues and neighbors – is affected by these challenging economic times, and we are gratified to be able to respond to County Executive Andrew Spano’s call to action with today’s $20,000 donation,” said Hill. “This will increase our total grant to The Food Bank to $45,000 for 2009.  We hope that this donation will help alleviate current shortages as well as sustain The Food Bank’s long-term efforts in our area.”

 Spano thanked Hill for the Foundation’s extremely charitable gift and noted the overall success of the drive. He said he hoped it would become an annual event involving even more municipalities next year. 

“We knew donations were at their lowest point in the summer and we wanted to help fill that gap,”  Spano said. “Residents throughout the county stepped up to the plate, organized local drives in their own communities and encouraged others to give generously. Everything collected will now be distributed to local food pantries which will pass it on to families who are having trouble making ends meet.”

Rohatynskyj told Spano that for a first-ever two-day food drive, the results were “spectacular.”

“You put out a call to action and people responded to the tune of 10,000 pounds,” she said. “That’s a major accomplishment.”

The municipalities involved this year were Bedford, Chappaqua, Elmsford, Harrison, Larchmont, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, North Castle, Port Chester, Somers, Tarrytown, Tuckahoe, Yorktown and Yonkers.

The MBIA Foundation provides corporate giving through its Grant Program, the Employee Matching Gift Program, and the Employee Volunteer Mini-Grant Program. The MBIA Foundation sponsors projects and programs that enhance the overall quality of life for people in need, provide a measurable impact on the communities where MBIA’s employees live and work.

In 2008, the MBIA Foundation donated over $1.3 million dollars in matching funds to charitable organizations as well as approximately $1.2 million in grants and sponsorships. 

 The county and Food Bank also thanked Allen Golan of Shleppers Moving & Storage in Yonkers who helped transport the donations.