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Dear
Friend,
Recently, while working from our Community Kitchen and Food Pantry, I marveled at the steady flow of New Yorkers lining up to receive food from us. There was no lull. There was no break. It never becomes normal to me. While it’s tempting to point to the holiday season as the cause, the truth is pantry and soup kitchen lines are busy because poverty in our city is hard. Every day I’m exceedingly grateful for the soft place our citywide charity network provides for the most vulnerable among us. Our network never gives up, no matter how hard it gets…from supporters who lend their voice, their platform and their time to make sure EVERYONE knows what’s at stake…and from partners who roll up their sleeves and join us on the frontlines. As 2015 sunsets, I want to thank everyone who helps fuel our mission to end hunger in this city. We simply cannot do it without you and appreciate that you never make us try.
Sincerely,
Margarette Purvis
President & CEO
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Bridging the Gap
We recently released our new report, Hunger Cliff NYC, at our Legislative Breakfast. It revealed alarming facts that underscore just how important our partnerships are. A staggering 5.3 million meals are lost each month in New York City due to widespread cuts to SNAP (food stamps) that have stifled New Yorkers’ ability to buy enough food, and dwindling resources that have left already-strained pantries and soup kitchens struggling to meet the need. Fortunately, we have partners in local and state government, like the Mayor’s Office, the Governor’s Office and the City Council, who are making anti-hunger work a priority. Because of their leadership, governmental investments in the Emergency Food Assistance Program (EFAP), the Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program (HPNAP), school breakfast and lunch, and the city’s emergency food network meant that more of our neighbors would be able to get the food they need. There is still much work to do, but when we come together as partners, it brings us that much closer to bridging a widening hunger gap.
Photo: Joey O'Loughlin
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Charity Starts in the Office
Our Food Bank 2 Go program was on the move again, this time making its way to the midtown offices of our longtime partner Bank of America. In this exciting service opportunity, the company provided food and sweat equity from 1,000 Bank of America employees to pack enough pantry boxes over the course of four days for almost 50,000 meals! The work didn’t stop there. I was thrilled to join Bank of America New York City Market President Jeff Baker as their team distributed the food to one of the many needy charities selected to receive food in time for Thanksgiving. We’re so thankful for partners like Bank of America and the many other companies that have gone beyond embracing service by making room for it inside their physical spaces. Their generosity of service was felt by countless New Yorkers in need. If you’re interested in having Food Bank 2 Go come to your organization, you can sign up here.
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Empire State Building Goes Orange
This year marked the 10th anniversary of our Go Orange to End Hunger™ initiative. When we kicked off this awareness-raising campaign a decade ago, we wanted to shine a light on a too-often invisible crisis that has permeated our city. From the very start, our board member Mario Batali has been by our side in this effort, and he has come back year after year so that people understand one undeniable fact: there’s still room for every New Yorker to DO SOMETHING about hunger in our city. This year, Mario was joined by cohosts from the “The Chew” Carla Hall and Michael Symon, board members Gail Grimmett, Jewel Jones, Arthur Stainman and Rev. Henry Belin, and Food Bank co-founder Kathy Goldman. We were also thrilled to have many of our partners from over the years including Lavazza, the New York City Wine & Food Festival (NYCWFF), Delta Air Lines, and TMI Trading Corp.
Photo: Eric Vitale Photography, All Rights Reserved
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Our Mission in Action
One of my favorite activities has certainly become getting to discuss and experience our mission through the eyes of our supporters on one of our Mission Tours. We recently visited International School for Liberal Arts (ISLA) where I was able to spend time with a few of the teens who manage the school’s campus pantry, a Food Bank program. When we first placed these services at schools around the city we looked at them primarily as a means of getting food to families who need it most. My time with the students at ISLA showed me how these programs also provide an excellent leadership and service opportunity for the children they’re intended to serve. Each young adult I met in the library—which played double duty as the school’s pantry—expressed gratitude in serving others. I learned how each child felt blessed and strengthened by being ALLOWED to give back and join the adults in meeting needs. It reminded me of how I got my own start in my career. I will be forever grateful for the reminder and opportunity to grow Food Bank’s community service portfolio. Up next for our partnership is to get more books and technology donated to the site. These are OUR CHILDREN and there shouldn’t be more food in their libraries than books. If you’re able to help us support their library, please contact me at prez@foodbanknyc.org.
Photo: Eric Vitale Photography, All Rights Reserved
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