by Daniel Buckley

I can’t believe how lucky I am. I feel incredibly gratified knowing that the work I do every day helps the 1 in 5 New Yorkers who rely on the Food Bank. On top of that, I have regular opportunities to attend and help at great events benefitting the Food Bank as a volunteer and a representative of the organization — from the recent NYC Food Film Festival to the upcoming Food Network NYC Wine & Food Festival.

But the most recent event I attended may just take the cake. When Morton’s Steak House was planning their first-ever NYPD vs. FDNY Grill Off, they decided to include the Food Bank as a beneficiary. And when they requested a Food Bank representative who could make a statement, sharing a stage with the ubiquitous Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and NY Jets Linebacker Jamaal Westerman, as well as speak to the press about hunger in our city and the Food Bank’s role at the grill off, I happily obliged.

The FDNY grill	The NYPD grill
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Then, when Morton’s asked me to be a judge in the grill off competition, well, I’ll just say that I enthusiastically agreed. For the competition, the best cooks from the NYPD and FDNY prepared filet mignon, porterhouse, sea bass and lamb chops. And these weren’t just plates of meat, but full, gourmet meals — the FDNY’s filet mignon was served over saffron risotto made with lobster broth and surrounded with a red-pepper coulis and outlined by roasted asparagus and carrots. I know, my job is so hard.

After a few grueling hours of preparation and competition, the FDNY won by just 8 points, I was provided the opportunity to speak with journalists about hunger in our city and hundreds of New Yorkers passed through — hearing announcements about hunger in New York City, stopping at our table for information and to make donations and buying Morton’s famous sliders in support of the Food Bank. All in all, it was a great day for the Food Bank (and a pretty good day for me too).

The Food Bank and our partners hold great events to benefit hunger relief all year round — check out our Events & Campaigns Calendar for upcoming events and subscribe to Food Bank E-News to receive event notifications.