Food Bank For New York City

Since 1983, Food Bank For New York City has been the city’s major hunger-relief organization working to end hunger throughout the five boroughs. In New York City, nearly one in five residents – primarily the working poor, the elderly, veterans, and people with disabilities – relies on us for food and other resources to address their food insecurity and associated poverty needs. Since enacting our emergency response to COVID-19 in March 2020, we’ve provided over 100 million free, nutritious meals to New Yorkers across the five boroughs, an increase of 61 percent in overall food distribution compared to the same time period last year. We’ve distributed over 1.3 million lbs. of non-food items, such as personal care and menstrual hygiene products, baby essentials like diapers and formula, and PPE equipment. We’ve also shifted all direct services to remote support via our SNAP call center, which has seen an increase in call volume of between 350-600 percent since mid-March. Food Bank takes a strategic, multifaceted approach that provides meals and builds capacity in the neediest communities, while raising awareness and engagement among all New Yorkers. Foundational to our approach is a strong network of 925 member agencies - each an emergency food provider committed to serving the City’s most food insecure residents. Our initial focus on food distribution has expanded to a range of anti-hunger solutions with the ultimate goal of helping struggling New Yorkers feed their families, eat nutritious foods on a limited budget, and become more self-sufficient. Since the pandemic, we’ve focused this mission even more by identifying 22 Community Response Partners (CRPs) across the five boroughs to better help us serve the communities hardest hit by the economic fallout of COVID-19. Through these CRPs, we’ve been able to distribute more than 24 million meals to New Yorkers in high-need areas. We’ve also launched a new Mobile Pantry Program, which allows us to get resources into neighborhoods that need even more assistance. Throughout the pandemic, we also conducted food distributions throughout the city at what we called our “Pop-Up Distributions.” These sporadic programs were managed directly by Food Bank and occurred at iconic locations throughout the city, such as Barclays Center, Yankee Stadium, and Lincoln Center. Approximately 752,233 meals have been provided through these distributions at 60 different locations. Food Bank’s income support services, including food stamps (also known as SNAP) and free tax assistance for the working poor, put nearly $38 million into the pockets of New Yorkers last year, helping them to afford food and achieve greater dignity and independence. Food Bank’s nutrition education programs and services empower more than 23,000 children, teens and adults to sustain a healthy diet and active lifestyle on a limited budget.

The mission of Food Bank For New York City is to end hunger by organizing food, information and support for community survival, and dignity. Food Bank For New York City has been working to end food poverty in our five boroughs for 35 years. As the city’s largest hunger-relief organization, we employ a multifaceted approach centered on helping low-income New Yorkers overcome their circumstances and achieve greater independence.