It is with a heavy heart that West Side Campaign Against Hunger (WSCAH) shares the news of the passing of Doreen Wohl, their extraordinary Executive Director from 1992-2012. Though she retired over a decade ago, her remarkable legacy continues to shape and inspire the work they do every day.
Doreen’s leadership was unparalleled. She was a force of nature—unyielding in her commitment to justice, unafraid to challenge the status quo, and unstoppable in her pursuit of dignity and choice for all. Whether working with city officials, Board members, staff, or volunteers, she never took “no” for an answer and never backed down as she drove community focused change forward.
Born in England in 1932, she lived through World War II and was evacuated twice to escape Nazi bombings. In the Mid 1950’s she crossed the Atlantic to work with the American Friends Service Committee, first in Mexico where she met her late husband Bernie Wohl, and then in the United States. Doreen worked with migrant farm workers which led to a career dedicated to working with and for underserved communities. She developed family day care, after school, and residential summer camp programs at South Side Settlement House in Columbus, Ohio and University Settlement and Kingsbridge Heights Community Centers in New York City.
At WSCAH, she transformed emergency feeding, pioneered the nation’s first customer-choice food pantry, integrated customers into their Board of Directors, and focused pantry volunteerism around the customer community. “Dignity, Community, Choice” grew and flourished under Doreen. For her groundbreaking work, she was honored with numerous awards, including the Lemlich Award and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.
Earlier this year, Doreen was featured on WSCAH’s first podcast episode, Hangry for Change: Delivering Dignity. Listening to her words reminds us of her brilliance, tenacity, and unwavering dedication. Click here to hear her story.
A memorial service celebrating Doreen’s extraordinary life and legacy will be held at 3:15 pm on Tuesday, January 21st, at the Church of Saint Paul and Saint Andrew (263 W 86th St.) or online at this link: https://www.youtube.com/live/DxKUyReyjOs.
Guests are invited to help pack food at WSCAH’s 86th Street Pantry before the service from 2-3 pm (please register at this link: https://vhub.at/Doreenwohlday). In accordance with her wishes, contributions to WSCAH can also be made in her memory here.
You can contact WSCAH at development@wscah.org with any questions.
