Dear Friends,

Never in the history of our organization has the Food Bank For New York City seen so many New Yorkers struggling to put food on the table. All walks of life are being affected by food poverty. From seniors, children and the working poor to the increasing number of city residents who are facing unemployment — these tough times have felt relentless over recent months. Food Bank research shows that in the midst of job losses, rising costs and a credit crunch, the number of New Yorkers having difficulty affording food has spiked to 4 million, almost doubling since 2003.

In response, we are increasing our efforts by exceeding our distribution goals for the current year. The Food Bank will distribute 12 percent more food this year than projected, providing 58 million pounds of food through our citywide network. At the same time, we are tackling food poverty from all angles, including public awareness and nutrition and health education.

The summer is a particularly challenging time to ensure that our city’s youth receive needed food. By supplying Summer Food Service Program information to our full network of approximately 1,000 member organizations, the Food Bank is sparking a vast outreach effort within our city’s low-income neighborhoods. Within our own offices, CookShop for Teens (EATWISE) is providing participants with a series of hands-on workshops, field trips and opportunities to educate other youth about making healthy food choices. During the coming school year, EATWISE teen participants will act as peer educators at their high schools throughout the city, as well as working to spread the word into their larger communities.

As challenging as these times may be, the Food Bank is making a difference with the help of many supporters and continues to explore new and innovative approaches to addressing food poverty. Your commitment to the Food Bank enables us to persevere with this vital work.

Sincerely,
Lucy Cabrera, Ph.D., CAE
President and CEO