By Kate Hindin & Zachary Pomerantz

A great Food Bank friend, Zachary Pomerantz, and I would like to introduce our blog readers to the Young Professionals — a group of successful, socially conscious and motivated individuals who are committed to ending food poverty throughout the five boroughs. The group’s goal is to assist the Food Bank in its effort to end hunger through community action, and raise money in support of the Food Bank's Community Kitchen.

Zachary Pomerantz has been involved in the Young Professionals since 2005, joining the group not only because it’s a great cause, but also because he has lived in New York City his entire life and thinks it is essential to give back to your community. He currently works as a Real Estate Asset Manager at Janoff & Olshan, Inc. and, “on the side,” is Young Professionals Co-Chair.

Here’s a note from Zach about a recent event he helped organize:

This spring, the Young Professionals held a fundraiser at Rouge Tomate. Every dollar brought in at the event directly supported the Food Bank’s Community Kitchen in West Harlem. The kitchen provides 365,000 meals annually through its pantry and meal services, so every dollar really counts.

We had a great turnout — about 60 people came out to support the kitchen! Combined with raffle tickets sold that night, we were able to raise funds for close to 10,000 free meals! A quick thank you to Grey Goose for sponsoring the event, and thanks to everyone on the YP who helped make the evening so great! There are more events and volunteer opportunities to come, so stay in touch or contact me for more information by joining our Facebook page. See you at the next YP event!