Although Westchester is one of the wealthiest counties in the nation it contains large and persistent pockets of poverty.

• More than 83,000 people in Westchester live below the Federal poverty line  -$22,200/year for a family of four.  26,000 of these individuals are children.
• 2,000 of our neighbors are homeless.
• Another 200,000 individuals (nearly one in five residents) are living on the edge, only one financial crisis away from losing their homes or are being forced to choose between food, medical attention or paying for utilities. 
• The cost of living in Westchester County is 71% higher than the U.S. average making it difficult for low-income individuals to find and keep housing or make ends meet.
• There has been a 47% increase in the number of food stamp recipients in Westchester in the past two years.
• 35,000 county residents are currently unemployed.
• Many people in need lack sufficient resources to attend or complete school and are therefore unable to gain the work skills they need to raise themselves out of poverty. 
• More than 50,000 adults in Westchester County lack the basic reading and/or conversational English skills they need to cope successfully in their everyday lives.

These problems are expected to worsen as the economy continues to decline.

Entrée to Hope program seeks to help alleviate these conditions by raising funds to provide

FOOD, SHELTER and EDUCATION to those who need it most.  These three core services, when combined together, can change the lives of the poorest among us, moving them from poverty to hope