A year later, Community Center is back home

By JEFF MORRIS

A renovated food pantry opened at the expanded Community Center of Northern Westchester. COURTESY OF CCNW

The Community Center of Northern Westchester is back at its newly renovated and expanded home in Katonah.

The doors opened at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 11, after the building at 84 Bedford Road had been closed for over a year while construction reshaped and reinvigorated it. Operations had been moved to Bedford Hills.

Local families are now able to come back to CCNW’s original site to begin picking up food, clothing, and supplies that the organization collected during its annual school supply drive. Donations and pickups had been suspended for 10  days while everything got moved to the new facility. 

“We are so excited to return home to a space that meets the needs of our community today and for generations to come,” said Clare Murray, the center’s executive director. “This expansion will strengthen every aspect of our mission and allow us to serve our neighbors with even greater dignity, choice and opportunity.”

Murray said the expanded home is about much more than a new building.

“It’s about better serving our community,” she said, “with a larger food market, an expanded clothing boutique, dedicated space for educational and support programs, improved accessibility, better traffic flow, expanded parking, and a more welcoming environment for every client, volunteer, donor and community member who walks through our doors.”

The new facility is more than double the size of the old building. In addition to the food pantry and clothing boutique, it provides emergency resources, educational and workforce development programs, and health and wellness support, all free of charge and now under one roof. Murray said CCNW serves more than 10,000 vulnerable people in northern Westchester, and aims to meet the immediate needs of families while helping to build long-term economic stability.

The center plans a community open house on Monday, Sept. 14, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Murray said that over the next few weeks, staff and volunteers will be settling in and welcoming clients back.

“We are grateful for your patience, generosity, and support as we make this wonderful transition, and begin this exciting new chapter,” she said. “We can’t wait to welcome you to our new home on Sep. 14 and share this milestone with you.”

Visit communitycenternw.org for more information.