by Davinia Buckley

I was lucky enough to join the Food Bank For New York City team this January, starting the new year off on a....well, on an orange note. Similar to any newcomer, I am excited, curious, a little nervous — but most of all eager to learn. First and foremost, I have learned that the Food Bank and the color orange are essentially synonymous, and I had the chance to experience the enormous effect this color can have on an entire city at the NYC Goes Orange Appreciation Event.

Food Bank board member Mario Batali raising a toast at our 2010 NYC Goes Orange Appreciation Event

The Food Bank held this event in February to thank the more than 300 partner organizations that helped produce another successful NYC Goes Orange — an annual, citywide campaign to spread orange, the color of hunger awareness, throughout New York City in an effort to raise meals for the more than 1 In 5 New Yorkers who rely on the Food Bank to eat.

The NYC Goes Orange Appreciation Event did not fall short of continuing this “Go Orange” trend. The event was held at Vento Restaurant, where by sheer coincidence the curtains and décor were orange, setting a rather appropriate and festive mood. Yet, the orange-spotting did not stop there, as it was not long before Food Bank board member Mario Batali himself arrived sporting his signature orange crocs.

Later in the evening, Batali, joined by Food Bank President and CEO Lucy Cabrera, toasted our partners’ hard work raising food, funds and public awareness for New Yorkers in need.

To make a long story (told well by our campaign recap video) short, the campaign was a success. Furthermore, judging by the positive atmosphere and smiling faces, so was the event, which was made possible by Southern Wine and Spirits, Stella Artois and Vanguard Direct. Needless to say, I left feeling as though I had “Gone Orange.”

Purim this year is Sunday, February 28. In the Bible, The Book of Esther tells a fantastical story about a Jewish girl whose grace won the beauty contest to be the new queen. Her charm also helped save the Jewish people throughout the Persian Empire from an evil minister named Haman (Boooo!!!).

Queen Esther and her cousin Mordechai then deliver the message that the only way to really be happy is if everyone in society is happy. This was true when a minority in the kingdom was being oppressed; it is also true when there is hunger in the community.

They declared that the holiday is celebrated by 1) giving charity to two people (enough money to buy a nice meal), 2) giving a food basket to a friend, 3) having a festive meal and 4) retelling the story. So please use the SHARE button below to Digg, tweet or use any social media to share this post, have a Happy Purim and please donate here.

by Daniel Buckley

If you read this blog regularly, you already know who Kate Hindin is. But for those of you who don’t: After working as the Food Bank For New York City’s Business Partnerships Manager for the past year and a half — over which time she was an active contributor to Bank on It — Kate Hindin has moved back home to California.

Kate’s dedication to building partnerships that have helped to fight hunger in New York City has come through clearly in her blog posts. So, illustrating the importance of these partnerships and giving examples of some of the ways that you or the place where you work can help make a difference, here is a selection of her posts — and, Kate Hindin, this is your life:

	Sweet Charity – parts 1 & 2 A two-part interview with one of the Food Bank’s favorite bakeries: Ivy Bakery in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.
	An Alternative Spring Break From among an onslaught of teens, tweens and families visiting New York City over spring break, a group of high school students from Erie, PA use their time off to help New Yorkers in need at our Community Kitchen
	Bring on the Bake Sales A Food Bank partner holds a bake-sale contest to benefit the Food Bank — and invites Kate Hindin to sample the entries as a judge.
	Nathan’s Famous on the Fourth of July The world’s most well-known competitive eating contest — featuring The Frankster, a dancing Uncle Sam and a lot of hot dogs — benefits the Food Bank.

by Ashley Goforth

Congressman Charles Rangel shows his support for strong student leadership as he chats with students trained as tax preparers from Frederick Douglass Academy and Rice High School.

Our free tax services can constitute a significant step from food poverty toward self-sufficiency.

Food Bank Board Chair Rev. Henry Belin hosted our special guest speakers at the kickoff event and emphasized the importance of community support for the program.

For the Food Bank, February means tax assistance is in high gear and heading full speed into the April 15 tax deadline. At the start of the month, the Community Kitchen & Food Pantry of West Harlem hosted a press conference to kick of the tax season and to remind New York City residents that many of them may be eligible for free tax-return preparation and electronic filing at 14 sites citywide operated by the Food Bank’s Tax Assistance Program and online through the IRS and New York State Free File Alliance programs. On hand to discuss the merits of the program was Congressman Charles Rangel; IRS Commissioner Douglas Schulman; NYC Department of Consumer Affairs Commissioner Jonathan Mintz; and Human Resources Administration Commissioner Robert Doar; Ed Black, President and CEO of the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA); and Brad Smith, President and CEO of Intuit Inc.

Then, on February 18, the Food Bank, Capital One Bank and the Brooklyn Community Foundation joined forces to bring attention to the program at the Fulton Street Capital One, where our program provides tax assistance for the northern Brooklyn community. Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz joined Fran Freedman, LMSW, Deputy Commissioner, External Affairs  NYC Department of Consumer Affairs; our Vice President of Agency Resources & Benefit Access Carlos Rodriguez and Capital One’s Brooklyn Market President B.J. Duffy to extol the benefits of free tax assistance.

The Food Bank’s Tax Assistance Program provides low-income New Yorkers with free tax preparation services as well as information on how to access the various credits they are entitled to – including the Earned Income Tax Credit , a key piece of the public safety net for the working poor. One of the largest programs of its type in the country, the Food Bank's Tax Assistance Program has completed up to 50,000 tax returns for low- to moderate-income New Yorkers annually — helping to provide as much as $100 million in tax refunds.

If you think you may be eligible for EITC, use Intuit’s free EITC calculator today. For a listing of the Food Bank’s Tax Assistance Program sites, click here.

by Daniel Buckley

Every year, the Food Bank For New York City convenes our Annual Agency Conference — the largest gathering of our city’s hunger relief community — for workshops, a panel discussion, keynote speeches and more to strengthen our city’s response to hunger.

In addition to members of our food program network and other hunger-relief organizations throughout the five boroughs, leading legislators, policy makers and academics often attend, adding their voice and support to the struggle to end hunger. At this year’s conference – January 12, 2010 – the Food Bank was honored to provide a forum for NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, Comptroller John Liu and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer to present their views and goals on subjects ranging from food stamps to food production.

While we face drastic cuts to emergency food proposed by New York City and State, the appearance of four of our city’s most prominent leaders at the Food Bank’s conference shows that there is strong awareness and support of the needs of low-income New Yorkers in city government.

Their words give us hope for the future of our city – please take a moment to hear them for yourself:

Dear friends,

As I mentioned in my last letter here (A Year in Recession, Jan 15), 2009 was a hard year for the Food Bank For New York City and the New Yorkers we serve. While we anticipate that economic hardship will continue in 2010, as we look back at this past fall and early winter — our busiest time of year — all of us at the Food Bank are deeply inspired by how our supporters came together in these difficult times.

Our inspiration comes from the outpouring of support for the Food Bank’s 2009 NYC Goes Orange campaign, with more than 300 partners raising food, funds and public awareness for New Yorkers who struggle to get by. The season also saw the launch of the Adopt a Food Program initiative — a partnership between the Food Bank and Mayor Bloomberg’s NYC Service that will dramatically increase volunteer support across our food assistance network.

Also, we launched the 2009–2010 CookShop school year. These unique Food Bank programs bring nutrition education to elementary and high school students as well as adults, inspiring enthusiasm for healthy, affordable foods. [PLUS: Witness our health and nutrition education efforts first-hand in our CookShop video.] And the Food Bank’s 18th Annual Agency Conference brought together hundreds from the hunger relief community, along with elected officials to strategize and build strength for the coming year.

With 3.3 million New Yorkers currently experiencing difficulty affording the food they need, it is essential that we continue this momentum together. President Barack Obama has set a goal to end childhood hunger in America by 2015. We’re now five years from that target, and I invite you to invest in our future by helping us end food poverty.

Thank you again for your continued commitment. I look forward to seeing many of you volunteering at our warehouse, “adopting” a local food program or celebrating at this year’s Can-Do Awards Dinner on April 20.

Sincerely,

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

by Daniel Buckley

With the mounting effects of the recession — including record-high unemployment rates — 2009 presented many challenges to the Food Bank For New York City. As the city's major hunger-relief organization, the Food Bank was there to help the 1 in 5 New Yorkers who rely on us to eat. 

Check back later this week for a Letter from Lucy (Lucy Cabrera, Food Bank President and CEO, that is) recapping the past year and giving a glimpse into the year to come. Right now, please take a moment to view, learn from and enjoy highlights of the videos and photo slideshows that display some of the Food Bank's efforts and events of the past year.

VIDEO

Visit the Food Bank's YouTube channel for more videos from 2009, including videos featuring Food Bank President and CEO Lucy Cabrera, Food Bank Board Chair Rev. Henry Belin, board members Mario Batali and Stanley Tucci and other supporters including Gwyneth Paltrow and Michael Stipe.

PHOTO

The below photo slideshows were posted right here on Bank on It over the past year.
 

For more photo slideshows, scroll through past postings on Bank on It...

by Daniel Buckley

It’s that time of year again, when we use the passing of another year to wipe the slate clean, consider how to add meaning to our lives or reflect on what our lives are missing and make resolutions for the future.

As the major hunger-relief organization addressing food poverty within the five boroughs, the Food Bank For New York City promotes healthy eating and fitness — staple New Year’s resolutions — and asks our supporters to do what they can to make a difference throughout the year.

Here is a selection of resolutions from our staff. We hope that our work inspires you throughout the year to take actions that will make a difference in your life and the lives of New Yorkers in need — and maybe our personal resolutions can add that extra a bit of inspiration to help make your New Year’s resolutions a reality.

Triada Stampas, Director of Government Relations & Public Education
“I resolve to eat more vegetables!”

Heather Joseph, MS, Volunteer Services Manager
“I plan to run a half-marathon — so that includes changing my diet, returning to the gym and starting to run outdoors. I also will be returning to Bikram Yoga.”

Roxanne Henry, Community Outreach Manager
“This year, I hope to begin a new chapter in my life, so I do not see it as a New Year’s resolution, but I resolve to be more present and conscientious in all that I do: in eating well, in being good to my body, when speaking to people, in my work, etc. I claim this aspiration with all honesty and sincerity!”

Ashley Goforth, Communications & Marketing Assistant
“My New Year’s resolution is to get my roomies to donate to the Food Bank member food pantry that is across the street from our apartment. They just found out there was a pantry there a few weeks ago.”

Claire Elyse LaRoche, Business Partnerships Assistant
“I intend to spend more time biking around Brooklyn in 2010.”

Catharine Bufalino, Director of Communications & Marketing
“My resolution is to cook for every person I love in the coming year. Geography allowing — I’ll aim to give them the healthiest, most delicious meal I can conjure. Wish me luck!”

John Leggio, CookShop for Adults Associate
“I resolve to spend more time jogging with my dog Ovie.”

Caitlin Buckley, Communications Manager
“As a vegetarian but not a vegan, I resolve to consider animal welfare when shopping for eggs and dairy products.”

Kim Keller, Director of Member Services
“My New Year’s resolution is to go to the gym on a consistent basis. I usually maintain a good three-day-a-week workout schedule for about three months, then fall off the wagon for about three months, then get back on. This year I want to maintain my schedule at two days a week — every week.”

Daniel Buckley, Online Communications Manager
“I resolve to eat less meat and more vegetables, and be more conscious of farming practices for the meat that I buy.”

Christina Riley, MS, RD, Community Nutritionist
“I joined a gym so I can start training for a relay marathon in the spring and attend yoga classes on a regular basis to improve my fitness and encourage a little more relaxation in my life.”

Kate Hindin, Business Partnerships Manager
“My resolution is to be more carefree and fearless. Stop worrying, start living!”

by Kate Hindin

I can’t think of a better way to end my time at the Food Bank For New York City (I will be moving back to California at the beginning of February) then with the success of our NYC Goes Orange campaign. Turning New York orange is no easy feat, and over the past year and a half I have been able to help light the city orange twice — raising more than six million meals for New Yorkers in need!

The Empire State Building lit orange for NYC Goes Orange 2005—2009

The success of this annual food, fund and awareness raising campaign rests entirely on the enthusiasm of New Yorkers – young and old, from Staten Island to the Bronx – who come together with their families, friends and businesses to help our hungry neighbors. A campaign that began as a single week now lasts the entire holiday season.

This campaign would not have been possible without the generous support from our more than 300 partner organizations, including Barclays, FedEx, Deutsche Bank, Bloomberg, BNP Paribas, Credit Suisse, Vanguard Direct, Disney, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft and Goldman Sachs. The campaign is also made possible by the dozens of fundraising events and offerings that took place across the city — from Z100’s Jingle Ball at Madison Square Garden to the delicious “Go Orange” cupcakes and cookies at Bay Ridge’s Ivy Bakery — along with the more than 300 virtual and traditional food drives, which alone raised more than 250,000 meals for hungry New Yorkers!

I would like to personally thank everyone who participated in the campaign and helped make it our most successful to date! Whether you partnered with the Food Bank, volunteered at an event, donated or helped spread the word — you helped make a real difference for New Yorkers in need.

Though I may no longer have the opportunity to light New York City orange, my time here has been transformed by the color — and I will never forget the experiences and opportunities I have had at the Food Bank!

To browse our NYC Goes Orange–related blog posts, click on the title of this post and scroll to the bottom of the page.

by David Grossnickle

Top to bottom: Paula Deen and Food Bank President and CEO Lucy Cabrera; Trucks at our loading docks; Food Bank volunteers; all photos by Peter Dressler View more photos!

An important source of protein, meat is a highly valued item that the Food Bank provides to New Yorkers who struggle to afford food for themselves and their families. Recently, long-standing partner Smithfield Foods, the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, and Food Network celebrity cook Paula Deen helped make sure that New Yorkers are receiving the food and nourishment they need when they kicked off the Feeding the Hungry’ Coast-to-Coast Tour at our Bronx warehouse.

As part of the launch for this nationwide campaign, Smithfield made a generous donation to the Food Bank of more than one million servings of roasts, ribs, hams and other products. Not only was the food donation itself an amazing gift, but the media event held at our warehouse helped to raise awareness for our food distribution efforts. And it definitely didn’t hurt to have Paula Deen on hand at our 90,000 square-foot warehouse. After a brief statement to the press about the importance of recognizing the hungry among us and the essential work of the Food Bank, Paula enthusiastically declared, “Let’s unload those trucks!” A human chain — including Paula herself, Food Bank volunteers, President and CEO Lucy Cabrera and representatives from Smithfield, the UFCW and A&P Supermarkets — quickly formed to unload a truck full of hams.

The Smithfield trailers lined up to be unloaded at our warehouse docks was a wonderful site to see. Even more satisfying was, in the days to come, watching the protein-rich products being sent back out — this time in Food Bank trailers, en route to the more than 1,000 food assistance programs we serve. Our ability to receive, inventory and deliver food to hungry New Yorkers so quickly is a testament to all of our donors, partners and volunteers. Thank you all!