News 12 has learned that roughly 250,000 people in the Hudson Valley need help putting food on the table this holiday season.

The data is from the national nonprofit Feeding America, which shows there's an astoundingly growing need for help among residents in the region’s seven counties including Westchester, Rockland, Orange, Dutchess, Putnam, Ulster and Sullivan counties.

The group sites roughly 100,000 people in Westchester are food insecure, and that a total of 150,000 people in the other Hudson Valley counties need help paying for groceries.

“The need is real, and the need is urgent,” says Tom Nardacci, CEO of the Regional Food Bank of the Hudson Valley.

Nardacci spoke at the grand opening of the food bank’s new multimillion-dollar location on Route 416 in Montgomery, in Orange County, that aims to help those struggling with food insecurity.

Other facility representatives say the need for food this year is the highest since the pandemic in 2022.

“We see a growing need for working parents,” says Felicia Kalan, executive vice president of the Regional Food Bank of the Hudson Valley. “Our seniors, they’re choosing between medicine and food, and we don’t want to see that.”

The $22.5 million food bank was largely paid for by state grants and will be fully operational by January.

If you or someone you know is struggling with food insecurity in the Hudson Valley, the following help is available at the following resources:

SNAP: 800-342-3009

Regional Food Bank of the Hudson Valley - regionalfoodbank.net.

Feeding Westchester - feedingwestchester.org.

Help for seniors: Hunger Solutions of New York - hungersolutionsny.org.