Day two of “30 Deeds, 30 Days” was spent at Food Bank for New York City. What an eye-opening day! I arrived a little bit before 11am and there was a line of people waiting outside to go into the Food Pantry. Today was especially meaningful to me because growing up; my family had visited the local food bank in Texas. Also, I believe that no one should ever go hungry. The people I met today are simply amazing and I am honored to have been a guest and volunteer for such a remarkable organization.

 

I was greeted by Carol Schneider, Senior Media Relations Manager, who introduced us to German Tejeda, Senior Director, Tax Services, and then had a chance to sit down with Shanon Morris, Program Manager and Carlos M. Rodriguez, Vice President Agency Relations & Benefit Access. I got a tour of the Community Kitchen and Food Pantry. The kitchen looked like any kitchen you would find in a large restaurant. German was telling me that they have to keep their kitchen cleaner than any restaurant in the city because they have more regulations and more agencies monitoring the operation than a typical restaurant does.

 

The Food Pantry was nothing like I expected. I thought it was going to be a room with pre-filled grocery bags and people would just walk up and take a bag and whatever it had in it was the food you were given. It was quite the opposite, actually. The Food Pantry was set up like a grocery store. Depending on the size of your family, you would get a laminated card with the amount of food you were eligible for. This system gives the “customers” some dignity and empowers them to make their own choices on what they eat. Maybe you don’t like garbanzo beans but love kidney beans, then you get a choice. It was wonderful to see how much Food Bank for New York City cares about the nutritional content.

 

After the grand tour, I got the chance to stock shelves. Putting cases of canned beans, tuna and even fruit juice on the shelves. I know it sounds so simple and you might ask, “Why do they need a volunteer to do that?” Well, instead of paying someone $8 an hour to stock shelves, they can spend that money to pay the gas bill or to repair a leaky faucet.

 

I must admit; I was very impressed with how passionate and invested they are in their work towards ending what is called “food poverty”.  Everyone at Food Bank for New York City is motivated and on a mission.

 

As I mention in my video, I met with a family that have experienced terrible loss and have endured so many challenges. Challenges that to you or me are simply unimaginable, but somehow this couple has continued to stay positive and feel "blessed." I am blessed to know them. Food Bank for New York City has eagerly worked with them to get into a new shelter for the time being and they are diligently making sure they have enough food to eat. Not everyone who comes to Food Bank for New York City is homeless, but in this family's situation, unfortunately they found themselves without.

 

So far in the last two days I’ve been fortunate enough to work with so many inspiring individuals and learn things about the organizations that I never knew about. One of the best parts has been gaining a new perspective on just what the organizations do. For instance, did you know that The Food Bank for New York City provides more than just food? Carol was kind enough to send me some really great information to share with you about Food Bank for New York City. Take a look below and read about their amazing programs.

Let me know your thoughts. Send me an email and I would strongly encourage you to get involved with your local food bank. No one should ever go hungry.

Thank you for your support. Day three coming to you soon!

Check out the video from my day at Food Bank For New York City here.

-Trey

What We Do

·         The Food Bank is the city’s only hub for integrated food poverty services, tracking food poverty on three fronts: food distribution, income support, and nutrition education.

The Food Bank

·         Helps provide 400,000 free meals per day to New Yorkers in need through our network of approx. 1,000 community-based member programs;

·         Maintains a comprehensive inventory of food enabling members to plan in advance, order a variety of food and provide balanced nutrition meals:

·         Helps bring in more than $60 million in tax refunds and Earned Income Tax Credits through free tax assistance for the working poor and other  qualified low-income residents;

·         Facilitates food stamp (SNAP) access for over 44,000 New Yorkers;

·         Reaches more than 15,000 children, teens and adults through hands-on nutrition education in public schools and after-school programs;·         Oversees direct services, including our Community Kitchen & Food Pantry of West Harlem;

·         Strengthens  the impact of our network through capacity building and technical assistance;

·         Works toward long-term solution to food poverty through a range of policy, research, advocacy and public awareness initiatives;

·         Raised awareness of hunger in NYC through a variety of outlets including media relations, communications, events, marketing, community outreach and corporate partnerships.

Food Poverty In NYC

Hunger is caused by food poverty — a lack of geographic and financial access nutritious food.Food poverty is a widespread problem in New York City, resulting from inconsistent access to healthy food in local communities due to low income, low participation in government assistance programs, rising costs and a lack of retail outlets offering affordable healthy food. Food poverty threatens people’s health, and their ability to learn and work.

·         According to Food Bank research, 40 percent of NYC residents (more than 3.3 million people) experience difficulty affording food for themselves and their families. The percentage of people having difficulty has increased 60 percent since 2003.

·         An estimated 1.4 million New Yorkers rely on soup kitchens and food pantries;

·         Approximately 400,000 New York City children, or more than one out of every five, rely on soup kitchens and food pantries.

·         More than 150,000 seniors in New York City, almost one out of every six, rely on soup kitchens and food pantries.  

Causes of Food Poverty

·         Low Social Security Benefit Level – approx. $13,000 annually.

·         Insufficient Minimum Wage – at $7.25 per hour, 40 hour work week, current NYC residents earn only $15,080 (gross) per year. This is well below the federal poverty level for a family of three (approx. $18,000 annually).·         Low Food Stamp Benefit Levels – approx. $1.72 per person per meal.  Eighty-four percent of people accessing food stamps run out of their monthly benefit within three weeks – contributing to the need for soup kitchens and food pantries.

·         Rising Costs: Cost of living increases in NYC Metro area from 2003 – 2009, include:

Food by 24%

Fuel and utilities by 45%

Housing by 24%

Medical care by 20%

Transporation by 14%

Lack of Access to Healthy Food

3 million NY residents lack adequate access to retail outlets that offer fresh food.

What We Do

The Food Bank tackles food poverty on three fronts: food distribution, income support and nutrition education.  Our research helps guide our work toward solutions.  As a result, the Food Bank is the city’s only hub for integrated food poverty services.

Food Distribution

·         We help 400,000 free meals per day to New Yorkers in need through our network of approx. 1,000 community-based programs.

·         We distributed 74 million lbs. of food in FY10, including more than 13 million lbs. of fresh produce. 

·         Since our inception in 1983, we have distributed 958 million lbs. of food. 

·         Community Kitchen & Food Pantry of West Harlem serves 10,000 meals monthly at its soup kitchen.  Its model client-choice pantry provides over 40,000 meals monthly, connects clients to benefits such as SNAP, tax credits, utility and rental assistance; and hosts external organizations to provide information about free health insurance and financial counseling.

·         We source and distribute food through a variety of channels and we award grants to 66 percent of our members to cover the cost of ordering.

·         We manage more than $35 million worth of food from federal, state and city government agencies.  In addition, we manage more than $2 million in private funds for food procurement to our network.

Income Support

·         Tax Assistance Program – prepares tax returns for low-income New Yorkers and the working poor at 14 sites in all five boroughs.

·         During 2010 tax season, our volunteers prepared 30,000 returns, bringing in $60 million in tax refund and EIT back to the city.

·         Food stamp (SNAP) prescreening and outreach: reached more than 44,000 New Yorkers.

·         We also support a special initiative that electronically submits food stamp applications from food assistance program which resulted in 5,000 applications being submitted in FY09.

·         Rent and Utility Assistance program, funded by United Way, pays one month’s rent and/or utility bill for New Yorkers experience financial hardship.

Nutrition Education

·         CookShop – our government-funded nutrition education program reached more than 15,000 children, teens and adults in all five boroughs in FY10, teaching nutrition information and cooking skills and fostering enthusiasm for fresh, affordable fruits, vegetables and other whol foods.  CookShop includes three components:  CookShop Classroom, CookShop for Teens/Eatwise, and CookShop for Families.

·         Our CookShop Social Marketing Campaign ‘Change One Thing,” carries nutrition education beyond the classroom, using diverse media to reach approximately 100,000 teens with messages about healthy dietary choices.

·         Our Open Market BackPack program, expanded from a Feeding America mode, teaches children about nutrition and how to prepare health snacks and meals, and allows them to choose nutritious food items to bring home for the weekend.

Capacity Building and Technical Assistance

We provide our network of community-based member programs with training sessions about nutrition, food safety and operations.  In addition, we provide assistance on a range of capacity-building topics including grants administration, income support programs, fundraising and volunteer recruitment.  Last year we conducted 86 trainings with more than 1,100 participants at more than 300 programs.

Research and Evaluation

We regularly conduct research and evaluation projects that help us determine the magnitude of food poverty and assess the need for food distribution, government nutrition access, income support and nutrition education in New York City.

Our research serves as a resource for anti-hunger organization, community leaders, elected officials and the media.  Our findings are also used internally on an ongoing basis to inform strategic planning and program development.

Advocacy

Informed by our research, we help shape and inform public policy on food poverty at the city, state and federal levels.  Through our research reports, policy papers and public testimony, we work to establish an ongoing dialogue with elected officials, community leaders and members of the public to develop solutions to food poverty.

How the Public Can Help

·         Donate and raise funds

·         Organize a virtual food drive

·         Donate food

·         Volunteer

·         Spread the word

·         Make a planned gift.

Donate and Raise Funds:

$1 = 5 meals

LOG ON TO OUR WEBSITE AND GET TO KNOW US:  www.foodbanknyc.org