Dear Friends,

I write this, my final letter to you before my retirement on October 1st, with great pride. Together, we have spent the last 23 years working to end hunger in New York City and we’ve achieved great success. Every day, we are providing vulnerable New Yorkers with a way to make ends meet. We’ve given them a meal today, resources for a more secure tomorrow and the knowledge to lead and sustain healthy lifestyles.

I first announced my plans for retirement in December, and now the time has come for me to pass the torch. September marks the sunset of my tenure as President and CEO of Food Bank For New York City. And, while the Food Bank will surely continue to succeed under the new leadership of Margarette Purvis, I will never cease to be a champion for our cause and for the people we serve, especially now.

We are entering VERY dire times. There are currently three million New York City residents that find it hard to afford food for themselves and their families. They are teachers, seniors, veterans, mothers, the working poor, adults living with disabilities, maybe even your neighbor, maybe even you — and they are struggling.  Making it through the month often seems impossible; it brings stress, depression and panic. Through the years, they have come to depend on the Food Bank and our network of more than 1,000 community-based member programs such as soup kitchens, food pantries, senior and community centers, free income tax service sites and more. One in five relies on us. And now, we’re finding it hard to make ends meet too.

Changes in federal and state funding are poised to have a devastating effect on those we serve. Potential federal funding cuts could leave New York City's emergency food network with 10 million fewer meals for new Yorkers in need.

In spite of these challenges, the Food Bank For New York City continues to help provide more than 400,000 free meals a day. In fact, since our beginnings, we have distributed more than one billion pounds of food across all five boroughs. Food distribution is the core of our mission, but also the foundation for a host of other social services to help people get back on their feet. I’ve seen first-hand how our solutions to hunger have effected positive change in the lives of so many.

In the face of these challenging times, I choose to leave this legacy behind: that together, we can do it!  We can make sure every New Yorker has permanent access to nutritious, affordable food, the resources to survive and the knowledge to make a better choice. Our resolve and dedication to this cause is powerful, and transforming. And, as my time as leader of this great organization comes to a close, I am excited about the bright future ahead.

Sincerely,

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

The following editorial by Food Bank President and CEO Lucy Cabrera was originally published in the Huffington Post, July 27, 2011.

As the debate over budget cuts heat up in Washington, let's hope cooler heads prevail when it comes to supporting something as basic as food assistance for those in need. Taking food away from those who are struggling the most should not be considered a budget fix. Without proper access to food, the system will begin to break down.

Cuts currently under debate by Congress threaten to drastically reduce vital food support for those already enduring the greatest brunt of the economic downturn. Proposed cuts to The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and SNAP, the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as Food Stamps, would be devastating to those who are already struggling to just get by.

Today, key economic indicators show that the recovery is slowing and food costs are increasing. As a country, how can we talk about strengthening our ability to compete in the future by making decisions at the expense of the weakest and most vulnerable among us? If the people in need whom we serve cannot be helped, we are putting more at risk than our economic recovery.…

Read the full editorial on the Huffington Post.

Dear Friends,

When the Food Bank For New York City’s Bronx warehouse and distribution center first opened in 1983, the Food Bank distributed 500,000 pounds of food in its inaugural year. This year, 27 years later, 74 million pounds of food moved through our 90,000-square-foot warehouse — the heart and soul of our organization. The juxtapostion between then and now is astounding. In 1983, organizers of soup kitchens and food pantries would carry bags of food from our then 30,0000-square-foot warehouse back to the communities they served; we had a network of 93 programs. Today, we’re delivering 350,000 pounds of food a day to our network of approximately 1,000 community-based programs throughout the five boroughs.

In 2011, our food distribution efforts have reached a milestone that deserves a great amount of attention: the Food Bank has now distributed one billion pound of food to our neighbors in need. ONE BILLION POUNDS OF FOOD!!

If we learn anything from this number, we learn that the need for support continues to grow. It’s simply not enough to collect and distribute food. The key is to go after the root causes of hunger. At the Food Bank, we are bullish on our ability to fuel programs that address the underlying problems that lead to hunger. We focus not only on food distribution, but income support and nutrition education as well.

We have also learned that the face of hunger might not look the way you expect. I have been with the Food Bank for more than 23 years and in this, my retirement year, I have been very reflective on those individuals and families we serve and the postive change we have been able to effect on their lives.

I think of Rosalind, a single-mother that was recently featured in Serving & Empowering New York, our 2011 video. Rosalind was a self-reliant music teacher before the recession stripped her of her career and the ability to provide for herself and her son. She relies on our income support programs to help pay her rent. I cherish the story of a visitor to our food pantry in West Harlem who didn’t know how to cook a zucchini until we taught her. She relies on us. I am warmed by stories of school children, some whom used to think a pepper was a pear and grew in bodegas. Now they understand the concept of farms, and healthful foods, thanks to our CookShop nutrition education program — we are the largest provider of nutrition education to NYC public schools for children and their families.

Through my reflections I have learned that we can all make a difference in the lives of so many. I urge you, stay committed and keep your resolve for this cause, you can make a difference no matter how big or how small, and we will continue to fight hunger together, one billion pounds at a time.
 

Dear Friends,

One of the drivers that has kept me going throughout my life and career has been the fear of being poor. I know what that feels like first-hand from my childhood. And having accomplished what I have as the Food Bank’s President and CEO for the past 23 years, I always remember that I owe everything to two people: my mother and father.

With Mother’s Day just days away, I always take some time aside to think about everything my mother, who combined her garment factory income with my father’s earnings as a cook’s helper, did to support my sisters and me. While I take great pride in the fact that my work at the Food Bank helps reach families like my own, it saddens me to know that women and children are two of the most at-risk groups in our city.

In fact, two-thirds of the people who visit food pantries in our city are women, and close to half of all households with children experience difficulty affording food. Knowing how many low-income families already find themselves on lines at soup kitchens and food pantries, it is all the more shocking to know that almost one out of every five women in our city would not be able to afford needed food immediately after losing their household income.

I never could have become what I am today without the love and support my mom gave me — not to mention those home cooked meals! My mother is no longer here for me to thank in person, but I like to think that my work honors her and all of the other mothers in New York City who work hard to provide for their families.

Sincerely,

Lucy Cabrera
President and CEO

If you can, we hope that you will consider making a donation to support all of the women who struggle to afford food in our city. A great way to do this right now is to make a gift in honor of your mother — sending her one of our new Mother’s Day eCards. Thank you!

Dear Friends,

I write to you today with mixed emotions to announce that I will be retiring as the Food Bank For New York City’s President and CEO.

I look back on my career at the Food Bank with great pride. Our mission has expanded beyond food distribution to ongoing support and resources that enable more than 1,000 community food programs to build capacity and connect their communities with much needed benefits and services. Along the way, the Food Bank has grown from a small provider to one of the country’s largest and most prestigious food banks, serving 1.5 million New Yorkers today through food distribution, income support and nutrition and health education.

Growing up, I saw poverty firsthand. My mother was a garment factory worker and my father was a cook. It was the fear of being poor that made me push myself because I wanted something more for my children.

Now, after 23 years with the Food Bank, I leave behind an organization that is in a strong financial position, has a stellar reputation, and an independent research wing. I’m confident that the strength of our community food program network, a highly committed board of directors, a skilled and dedicated executive team and a committed group of supporters like you will take the Food Bank to the next level. I will continue to serve in my current role as our Board of Directors engages in a search for the Food Bank’s next leader.

Thank to you everyone who has helped make what the Food Bank does possible.
 

Sincerely,

Lucy Cabrera, CAE, Ph.D.
President and CEO
Food Bank For New York City

Dear Friends,

It is regrettable that Congress has voted to enact the Child Nutrition Reauthorization bill S. 3307. The improvements to child nutrition programs contained in the legislation come at an unacceptable cost: in all, more than 75 percent of the legislation’s $4.5 billion price tag is taken directly from benefits and services for households that struggle to afford adequate food.

The “Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act” cuts $2.2 billion from the food stamp (SNAP) benefits on which more than 42.3 million vulnerable Americans — nearly half of them children — depend. At a time when one in seven Americans is living in poverty, this trade-off is distinctly out of step with the reality low-income families face: for them, it is not a question of food stamps or school meals, but a critical need for both in order to secure adequate, nutritious food. Rather than improving child nutrition, reducing the food budgets of low-income families will only force them to rely even more on low-quality, low-cost food when they shop. It will also bring them one step closer to a food pantry or soup kitchen door at a time when those organizations are already struggling to keep up with need.

Compounding the problem, the “Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act” cuts an additional $1.2 billion from SNAP-Education funding for nutrition education programs that empower families to maintain a healthy diet on a food stamp budget. As currently funded, this legislation is no victory for vulnerable families trying to provide adequate, nutritious food on the slimmest of budgets.

We call on the members of the 111th Congress to restore SNAP funding before the end of the session, and we ask every proponent of this bill to join us in advocating for this “must-fix” priority. Otherwise, the promise of “Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids” — and the Administration’s goal of ending child hunger by 2015 — can never possibly be realized.

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

Dear Friends,

The U.S. Census released new statistics today, which find that nearly 44 million Americans lived in poverty in 2009, an increase of 3.8 million (+14%) from 2008. These numbers represent the largest number of U.S. residents living in poverty on record. (Click here for the full report.)

A low-income family at a Food Bank network food pantry

Unfortunately, this does not come as a surprise to the Food Bank For New York City. Since the beginning of the recession in December 2007, the Food Bank has witnessed lines growing longer at soup kitchens and food pantries. More than 90 percent of NYC’s emergency food organizations reported an increase in new clients last year, and more than three million city residents reported difficulty affording food for their households. Despite talk of recovery — there appears to be no let-up in sight. Unemployment rates are still more than double what they were at the onset of the recession; more families have long since spent down their savings and are relying on our services just to keep basic food on the table.

Equally troubling is the fact that government resources are not increasing to help meet the demand. Instead, the Food Bank has witnessed budget cuts to vital services for the poor or at best, a shifting of funding that amounts to robbing-Peter-To-Pay-Paul. For example, Congress recently opted to cut food stamp funding to pay for education and medical services for the poor and at this very moment is considering another cut to the food stamp pot to pay for the Child Nutrition bill. As more and more families fall upon hard times, they will certainly fall through the safety net that has begun to unravel under the extra weight. Without an infusion of new funding to reinforce basic services like emergency food, food stamps and housing — poverty, hunger and homelessness will continue to skyrocket.

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

Dear Friends,

Right now, 1.7 million New Yorkers are using food stamps to help make ends meet. Their incomes have been decimated by job losses and rising costs, and food stamps supplement stretched budgets, putting food on the table for children, seniors and other vulnerable populations.

At the Food Bank, we recognize that federal benefits like food stamps are a key piece of the hunger safety net, and it is critical that we do everything we can to connect low-income New Yorkers to the program. That’s why income support is an integral part of our mission, and why we work with our network to raise awareness of food stamps and help eligible households apply. As people reach out for help in increasing numbers, we’re ensuring that they are offered a full range of services.

And with proposals to cut funds from the Food Stamp Program to pay for other services currently under review in Congress, we need your help. Please contact your legislators today to ask them to protect this essential program!

I am grateful to know that despite the staggering levels of need we face, struggling families and individuals can find compassion and respect at food assistance organizations all over the city. Rabbi Shaul Shimon Deutsch, of Food Bank network member Oneg Shabbos, puts it best, saying, “Numbers are important, but what’s more important is that every number has a face.”

We encourage all of our supporters to put a face to these numbers by volunteering at one of the approximately 1,000 food assistance programs in our citywide network and meeting some of the wonderful people they serve. You can also “meet” some of these New Yorkers right now — including Jeff, who has had trouble finding work since an injury and whose kids actually get excited over broccoli — by reading our online Meet the People We Help stories.

Thank you so much for helping us fight hunger — every one of our supporters is making a difference for low-income New Yorkers. And there are so many ways to help the Food Bank: make a one-time or monthly gift, volunteer or buy tickets for the Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival. Your dedication is truly appreciated.

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

by Lucy Cabrera, Food Bank President and CEO

*The following updates Dr. Cabrera's statement of August 6.

Within the past week, both houses of Congress passed legislation that will rob the Food Stamp Program (SNAP) of billions of dollars in order to provide aid for Medicaid and education programs. A Senate vote to reduce food stamp benefits by billions more to pay for child nutrition programs now awaits approval by the House. It is regrettable that these votes are being touted as a victory.

There is no question that our health care, education and child nutrition programs need adequate funding. But our public health care system, public education system and food stamps all serve the same population, and by taking money away from any one of these programs to fund another, Congress is playing a shell game that low-income Americans will always lose.

In fact, Congress is undermining its own goals: a person will not remain in good health if he or she cannot afford a healthy diet; and a child who goes to school hungry will not learn. Low-income families struggling to put food on the table will only find themselves one step closer to a food pantry or soup kitchen door at a time when emergency food resources are already scarce.

Funding services at the expense of those most in need cannot be the answer. It is the worst example of robbing Peter to pay Paul. While it is imperative that Congress find funding for health care programs, public schools and nutrition assistance programs, this funding must not come from other programs and services low-income people rely on. Congress must rectify these misguided funding proposals immediately.

The Food Bank is working hard to take cuts to the Food Stamp Program off the table – and we need your help! Use this action alert to contact your Congress member today, and visit our advocacy page for further actions in support of New Yorkers in need.