Dear Friends,

I write to you this morning with very serious news. Because of reallocations in New York State’s emergency food program (HPNAP), the Food Bank is losing close to 50 percent of the annual budget for our Community Kitchen & Food Pantry — a program that serves more than 1,000,000 meals and reaches 4,000 families annually.

A man eating dinner at the Food Bank's Community Kitchen & Food Pantry

Such a significant loss of funding to one of our central programs would be difficult to cope with at any time. But knowing that demand for food assistance at the Food Bank Community Kitchen continues to increase presents quite a dire image of the effect this loss could have on the Harlem community. Adding to that picture, the Food Bank’s supply of emergency food faces serious cuts at the federal level as well, as the federal program (TEFAP) is on track to provide 10 million fewer meals to our city this year.

The Community Kitchen served more than 1,000,000 meals at its soup kitchen and reached more than 4,000 families through its choice-style food pantry last year. Further, the Community Kitchen serves as the headquarters for our Free Income Tax Services program, which brought more than $65 million in tax refunds and credits to low-income New Yorkers this past season.

Through these services, the Community Kitchen is a pivotal resource in West Harlem, and a model for our citywide network of community-based programs such as soup kitchens, food pantries, senior centers and more. Because of the great need and the generosity of our supporters, the Food Bank will weather this crisis. As you read this post, our Board of Directors is working to ensure that we continue to provide for our clients and the community, and that the Community Kitchen is able to grow in the long term.

But with nearly 50 percent of our funding lost, we are going to need the help of supporters like you. The Community Kitchen has never needed your help more than it does now — please consider making a donation today to support the Food Bank in this time of need.

Thank you for everything that you are able to do to support the Food Bank and our vulnerable neighbors. Please stay tuned to this blog, and consider joining us on Facebook and Twitter, to stay up-to-date on the emergency food shortages being faced by our city.

Sincerely,

Lucy Cabrera, Ph.D.
President and CEO