One of the most unique things about Second Chance Foods is The Kitchen! Last year, we increased our meal production by 22%. Because our meals help reduce barriers to accessing healthy food and make it easy to eat healthy food, we’re always working to grow this side of our operations. That’s why in 2025, our goal is to cook over 150,000 meals—as of mid-May we’re already a third of the way there!
Last year, we rescued almost *half a million* pounds of food from our partners—8% more than 2023. About 10% of the surplus we collect is not usable so we compost it or feed it to livestock if possible. The rest is sorted for different uses: food to cook, food to freeze (for later use), and the 328,269 pounds that were connected directly to our hunger relief partners.
Our volunteers make *everything* we do possible! Last year we had over 400 individual volunteers give 34% more time than the year before.
The most important impact number—the individuals we exist to support. Last year, we estimate that we nourished over 84,000 children, parents, older adults, veterans, and other individuals—10% more than in 2023.
Dear Second Chance Foods Community,
Thanks to you, 2024 was a time of growth, resilience, and transformation at Second Chance Foods. We created thousands of nourishing meals, distributed record amounts of groceries, and saw our dedicated volunteers contribute an extraordinary number of hours to feeding our neighbors with dignity and love. While we have counted every hour and recognized its tremendous value, the true impact of this time is beyond measure. Every meal cooked, every bag of food packed, every hour given has made a real difference. Behind every number you see in this report is a person helped and a story of hope. As one recipient recently shared,
“I wanted to express how very grateful I am from the bottom of my heart for your extremely delicious, nutritious, very healthy meals!! I am a 57 year old diabetic client of CoveCare and your cooking is wonderful!!”
None of this would be possible without the compassion, generosity, and hard work of our incredible community. Thank you for believing in the power of second chances.
As we continue into 2025, I invite you to stay connected, volunteer, advocate, and give: only together can we build a future where everyone has access to nourishing food, provided with dignity.
With gratitude and hope,
In 2024, we added St. Joseph’s Parenting Center in Danbury, CT and increased our support of Dorothy Day Hospitality House! Because we know hunger doesn’t stop at state lines.
Our partnership with St. Joseph’s Parenting Center (SJPC) in Danbury, CT embodies what partnership means. SJPC supports Second Chance Foods through produce donations and kitchen equipment acquisitions. In return, our kitchen makes it even easier for SJPC participants to enjoy a healthy meal every week before their Parenting Support classes.
We’ve partnered with Dorothy Day Hospitality House for multiple years, but after they moved this partnership has grown and evolved even more.
Throughout 2024, Bountiful Meals expanded to six freezers with a seventh added in early 2025—but we’re not done yet! More freezers are planned to increase access through our ready-to-eat meals in Putnam.
Bountiful Meals reduces barriers to accessing food through freezers in places community members already visit, like senior centers and libraries. These locations are open five to seven days a week for longer hours. Compared to traditional hunger relief pick-up locations with short windows for pick-up, recipients can select food any time they need help.
Last year our CSN boxes of fresh groceries and nourishing meals expanded to include recipients through Adult Protective Services, the Department of Social Securities. The CSN box program continues to grow and improve to meet the needs of recipients.
In 2024, we created a total of 4,841 boxes to nourish over 320 every week and a total of 16,279 people all year—an 8% increase from 2023!
At Second Chance Foods, we have grown slowly and steadily to ensure responsible growth at an organizational level. We have maintained a healthy financial position through diverse fundraising efforts that include generous individual donors, grants and foundations, and events, while constantly working to bring new supporters into our community. Uncertainty in hunger relief is rising, but our goal is to ensure that our programs can last as a dependable source of nourishing food for as long as the community needs our services. During these unpredictable times, income is never guaranteed. However, as some of our funding is suspended, ended, or uncertain, we remain committed to staying flexible and finding new sources while putting the most of our resources towards our program and operating without interruption.
Reducing food waste is the third most impactful way to reverse climate change. Using the online ReFed Insights Engine Calculator, in 2024 our recovery efforts prevented the following waste and impact on the earth:
• 306.02 Tons of CO2 (almost 779K miles driven)
• 3 Metric tons of CH4 (Methane)
• 35.28 Million gallons of water (equal to 53 Olympic swimming pools)
Every year continues to be another year of growth and learning more about how needed our work is in the community. According to the United Way, “Over the last decade, the number of ALICE households in New York has continued to rise. Despite minimum wage increases, wages have failed to keep up with the cost of household basics. When prices increase faster than wages, purchasing power decreases. This is especially challenging for ALICE households that are already struggling to make ends meet.” In 2025 our program goals include:
When Second Chance Foods was founded in 2016, we had no idea how our mission would resonate with the community, the extent of the unmet need we could help solve, and the rapid growth we would experience. Over the last nine years, we have built partnerships, evolved, and emerged into a streamlined Food Rescue Hub and Kitchen that connect over 30,000 pounds of fresh groceries and more than 12,000 meals *every month* to our neighbors who need food assistance.
While addressing the current needs is critical in hunger relief, it does not leave much time for organizational development. That is why last year we decided to take the time to engage in strategic planning. Starting in late 2024 and continuing through May 2025, this planning has been an opportunity to reflect and plan for the future with our board, staff, volunteers, and some additional stakeholders. Together, we brought clarity to our mission and defined our shared values while identifying the most important goals to focus on for the next few years to help us achieve our long-term vision. Stay tuned for our finalized plan to be announced in June 2025!
Along with our strategic plan, we’ve updated our logo and branding to reflect who we have become while continuing to ground us in our history and ongoing values.
This Hudson Valley Gives, we’re raising $65,000 to support the rapid growth of our organization. Every week we’re working to increase the total pounds of groceries we rescue, meals we cook, partners we connect with fresh food, and individuals we nourish. Today, we’re cooking year-round, three days a week, and on track to prepare over 150,000 meals in 2025—30 times more than in 2017, our first year!
More than growth—it’s transformation. And it’s driven by an urgent truth we hear from nearly every hunger-relief partner we serve: “We need more.” As we work to scale and meet this need, we need your help. Our ability to keep up with this rising demand depends on an essential ingredient: you.
This special evening isn’t just about raising funds – it’s an opportunity to celebrate the incredible impact we’ve made together.
Join us to learn about how we’ve grown this year and the difference we’ve made in the lives of those we serve.
Enjoy delicious food prepared by our dedicated volunteers (using the same recipes we use to nourish our recipients), the return of our famous grazing board, a signature cocktail and open bar, live music, and a silent auction.
Tickets go on sale in July—we look forward to celebrating with you!
Second Chance Foods will continue to grow our impact by expanding our ready-to-eat meals into Westchester County, making nutritious, prepared meals more accessible to those in need. To support this growth, we will welcome two new staff members, strengthening our ability to rescue, prepare, and distribute fresh, high-quality food throughout the region.
In April we moved to our new Food Rescue Hub and Kitchen, allowing us to cook more food, store additional groceries, run programs concurrently, and, most important, connect more nourishing food with the community we serve.
In partnership with CCE Putnam, our Bountiful Meals program was launched in senior centers, expanding access points to distribute healthy meals without barriers. Our staff expanded to six employees, significantly increasing our capacity and impact.
Continuing to support our growth, we added two walk-in coolers and a part-time development staff.
Our distribution and cooking grew significantly to meet the ongoing increase in hunger. We also expanded our rental space and added our first part-time Operations Assistant.
An innovative year as we responded to the challenges of the global pandemic.
New programs were quickly developed, and our Community Supported Nutrition boxes began.
Program partnerships expanded to include interns with developmental disabilities, cooking grows to year-round work, and a Mobile Cooler provides more flexibility and growth to rescue.
60 pounds of imperfect carrots launched our prepared meals program: cooking farm fresh-produce to make healthy eating easy and delicious!
Second Chance Foods officially became a nonprofit and began rescuing food from grocery stores. 1,125 pounds were recovered in the first six weeks!
Though we wish we could supply food to everyone in need, Second Chance Foods cannot provide meals or groceries directly to individuals. Our solution is to collaborate with existing programs in the community and supplement their food with our meals and groceries. If you or someone you know is in need of assistance, please refer to our resource page here for our partnerships and local options.
120 Marvin Ave
Brewster, NY 10509
Volunteer Questions contact Volunteer Coordinator Melissa Paladino 845-723-1309
For all other questions please contact us at 845-723-1315
This Hudson Valley Gives, we’re raising $65,000 to support the rapid growth of our organization. Every week we’re working to increase the total pounds of groceries we rescue, meals we cook, partners we connect with fresh food, and individuals we nourish. Today, we’re cooking year-round, three days a week, and on track to prepare over 150,000 meals in 2025—30 times more than in 2017, our first year!
More than growth—it’s transformation. And it’s driven by an urgent truth we hear from nearly every hunger-relief partner we serve: “We need more.” As we work to scale and meet this need, we need your help. Our ability to keep up with this rising demand depends on an essential ingredient: you.
This special evening isn’t just about raising funds – it’s an opportunity to celebrate the incredible impact we’ve made together.
Join us to learn about how we’ve grown this year and the difference we’ve made in the lives of those we serve.
Enjoy delicious food prepared by our dedicated volunteers (using the same recipes we use to nourish our recipients), the return of our famous grazing board, a signature cocktail and open bar, live music, and a silent auction.
Tickets go on sale in July—we look forward to celebrating with you!
