C.S.A. is OPEN for Grab & Go!
FREE DINNER!
Every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
From 5pm – 5:45
8 South 2nd Avenue
Mt. Vernon, NY 10550
Mailing Address is different from distribution address.
Please send all mail to:
Community Service Associates, Inc.
38 East 1st Street
Mt. Vernon, NY 10550
A Note From Our Director, Roberta Apuzzo
Dear Friends of CSA:
As we enter 2023, we have much to be thankful for. COVID cases are down and infections do not seem to be as life threatening as when the pandemic began 2 years ago. This has allowed us to open our doors again to “on-site” volunteerism! We are grateful for all of our volunteers past and present who have come in to help serve, or have cooked meals from home.
We are approaching our 1 year anniversary in our new space at Generations Church and within this past year we have seen an increase in dinner guests almost tripling what we served at the Armory. We currently serve an average of 70-80 individuals per night, 4 nights per week. Each dinner guest also receives a bagged lunch. As you can imagine, the cost of 600+ meals each week takes a tremendous financial toll on our already tight budget. We have also seen an increase in families with young children as we are located down the block from a family shelter. One question we get all the time is:
“How can I best contribute to the program?“
A financial contribution is always helpful and goes directly towards food, and other necessary expenses such as rent, supplies, internet, accounting, etc. to directly benefit our clients. Alternatively, if you don’t want to donate money, you could take advantage of our “Make A Meal For One Night” volunteer opportunity by purchasing, and providing one night’s meal for us. This way both your money AND time will go directly towards feeding our guests.
Don’t have the ability to cook for so many? How about having a meal catered for one night from the restaurant of your choice? It is as simple as contacting us to secure a date on our calendar and placing the order!
We also accept clothing donations within reason – please contact us before dropping off any clothing or food pantry items as we do not have much space to store these items.
If you have any questions or concerns about making a donation, please do not hesitate to contact us at (914) 668-1428 or email us at contact@csasoupkitchen.org
As always, any contribution is tax deductible and greatly appreciated!
Roberta Apuzzo
Executive Director
If there is anymore information that we can provide, please CONTACT US!
EACH GUEST RECEIVES A *TAKE HOME LUNCH!
Every week our team of volunteers prepare and package around 120 sandwiches to be given out with dinner. Our bread is donated from Terranova Bread Factory, and our sliced deli meat/cheese is donated by REACH Church.
This is a major savings to us and we thank both parties for their gracious donations every week!
*Unfortunately due to the high numbers of guests, the cost of sliced deli meat/cheese, and the lack of places to store the pre-made sandwiches, we tend to run out of lunches by the end of Wednesday’s Dinner Service.
We truly apologize for any inconvenience this may cause to our guests who rely on these lunches.
If at any time you wish to donate sliced deli meat/cheese, please don’t hesitate to reach out!
“Make A Meal For One Night” Is More Popular Than Ever!
Thanks to all of our Volunteers for helping make our “Make A meal For One Night” Program such a success! The calendar is open and waiting for you to sign up!!!
THANK YOU TO ALL OUR WONDERFUL DONORS!
BRONXVILLE EAGLE SCOUT SERVES BY HELPING RENOVATE SOUP KITCHEN
On December 10th, Bronxville Troop 5’s Devavrat “Dev” Tarwala conducted his eagle scout project of renovating the ceiling of the Community Service Associates soup kitchen and office space. With the help of William Neild, Robert Harrison Brown, Owen Anderson, Luke Guszkowski, and his Scoutmaster, Mr. Anderson, they were able to replace the drop ceiling and the harsh fluorescent lightbulbs with new LED ones. He would like to give a special thanks to Mr. Jared Apuzzo for giving him the opportunity.
Dev first got in contact with Mr. Apuzzo from CSA soup kitchen in January 2022 and asked if they had any tasks he and his fellow Scout could help out in. They did. One very close to them, not necessarily under their noses but above their heads: the drop ceiling of their kitchen and office space was in desperate need of replacement. When Dev first arrived at the CSA soup kitchen, he was surprised at how badly the drop ceiling panels were beaten up. Some of the panels had water stains or holes, while others were altogether missing chunks. Mr. Appuzo had also mentioned that the light bulbs were in need of replacement. And by looking at how dimly lit the room was, anyone, especially Mr. Appuzo and his fellow volunteers and chefs who work in the space from morning to night, could say such is true.
After figuring out the logistics, Dev determined that around $900 to $1,000 would be needed to buy the materials to complete the project. This gargantuan goal seemed out of reach for him and his fellow scouts. Yet, the community of Yonkers helped achieve this goal. By fundraising outside of the Stop and Shop at Cross County shopping center for six hours, Dev and his fellow scouts were able to raise $1,406.25, all thanks to the generosity of customers and Yonkers and Westchester residents.
With the funds he needed, Dev secured the supplies and materials that would be used to undertake this task. After weeks of planning and preparing, Dev held his eagle scout project on December 10th. After a grueling seven hours of work, the drop ceiling of the CSA soup kitchen looked pristine and immaculate. The boys felt a sense of pride in their achievement. And Dev was able to go to bed that night exhausted beyond what he thought possible, yet happy.
While CSA does get some funding from Westchester County, we would not exists without the generous donations of our local schools, churches, clubs, businesses, individuals and families! Monetary donations are used for all daily operational expenses from paying for food and rent to funding staff and everything in between. We THANK YOU for helping to keep our doors open, lights on, and ovens cooking!
New Partnerships and Volunteers!
www.deborah-huldahministries.org/
We are thrilled to forge new partnerships and invite new volunteer groups and individuals to our CSA Family! 2022 will finish strong as we continue receiving local support with “make a meal” donations and monetary contributions.
Volunteer
Take Home Lunch
Our Mission
What started out in 1986 as a small lunch program has grown into one of the most vital meal programs in the City of Mount Vernon, NY.
We are here to provide a nutritious meal to the most at risk in our community. We offer a free meal, 4 nights per week to anyone in need with no eligibility criteria required.
Our primary operation is a free dinner service every Tuesday – Friday from 5pm – 5:45. We also offer a take home lunch, an emergency pantry, and other take home items (when available).
Want to Volunteer?
Want To Make A Donation?
Here are some of our supporters, past and present. We thank you!
If you wish to send a check, please make checks payable to: “Community Service Associates, Inc.”