by Caitlin Buckley

On a recent Saturday morning, the line at the River Fund in Richmond Hill, Queens, stretched around the block, while Fay, a social worker, moved down the line, answering questions and checking in on regular clients. The River Fund is a Food Bank member and, like most of the programs in our network, they have seen their number of clients soar. Fay has been seeing more visitors than ever, and some are seeking for help for the first time. “We’re seeing a very different sector,” she noted, “people who are recently unemployed, who just lost their jobs, or are even working and can’t make ends meet.”
 

A River Fund client with a pantry bag

Upstairs in the house, Wilfredo Morales was helping to connect pantry clients with much-needed food stamps, Medicaid, unemployment and other services. In the garage that houses the River Fund’s choice-style food pantry, a volunteer welcomed clients with warmth, listing the foods available for selection. “We’ve got corn, beans, spinach, yams — we’ve got mango juice,” she announced as people stepped forward.

The River Fund encourages membership and offers services beyond food distribution. One client, a social worker who supports four children and her sister and mother, had just picked up a bag of produce and canned goods, as well as some new clothing, a special offering that day. The River Fund has also helped her with toys and Christmas presents for the kids.

Back in the line, Uma Corveddu was greeting clients, hugging their children and handing out treats. Later that morning, she would travel down to Coney Island, where the River Fund’s “Under the Boardwalk” program distributes prepared foods to homeless clients. Uma reiterated the increased need and long pantry lines the River Fund has seen: “It has been amazing — we’re talking double.”

Originally featured in Food For Thought Fall 2009, the Food Bank’s print newsletter.

Food Bank For New York City continually works to raise awareness and support for hunger relief through media outreach and information sharing. Here are highlights of the recent stories that have featured the Food Bank:

CNN International, “Growing Number of New Yorkers Depend on Food Help”
CNN International visits the Food Bank’s Community Kitchen & Food Pantry of West Harlem to examine a nationwide increase in need for food assistance...read more [includes VIDEO]

New York Daily News, “Queens Sees Huge Surge In Demand for Emergency Meals & Food”
Queens has seen a whopping 106 percent spike in the number of emergency meals being provided to hungry residents in the past two years — the second-highest increase in the city — according to a recent report on hunger from Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand...read more

The New York Post, “Target Gives $5K to Boro Soup Kitchen”
Target Stores donates $5,000 to Food Bank network member Biblica Restauracion church and soup kitchen in Sunnyside, Queens...read more
 

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 Heather Joseph

“It is in the shelter of each other that the people live." —Irish proverb

It was the final event of the hugely successful Food Network NYC Wine & Food Festival, last month. The volunteers were in place, the event was in full swing and I had a moment to sit and rest. Sitting and talking with my event-producer colleague, Moira, a homeless man came up and asked for change. We didn’t have any money on us, but Moira quickly jumped up and grabbed a serving of meatballs and bread from inside. He smiled brightly as he ate, saying, “It’s warm, thank you.”

Moira, who works at Karlitz & Company, the event-production company that helps to manage the festival, was visibly touched. She had been working for months, planning events to benefit hunger relief — but making direct connection with a New Yorker in need and seeing his appreciation for a warm meal really brings the problem of hunger home.

As we continued to talk, we discussed a common misperception. Too many people believe that hunger is a problem mostly limited to our city’s homeless population. And while homelessness is a serious problem in our city, homeless men, women and children actually make up a small percentage of the New Yorkers who rely on the Food Bank to eat. Hunger is widespread throughout the five boroughs and, in fact, one of the largest groups that access emergency food is the working poor — men and women who work part-time, full-time and often multiple jobs, but who often rely on a soup kitchen or food pantry to make ends meet.

Learn more about the population we serve by reading the Food Poverty in NYC section of our website, including stories from New Yorkers we help. Or, even better, volunteer and meet some of the New Yorkers who rely on the Food Bank.

Dear Friends,

As the fall is coming to a close, we are three months into NYC Goes Orange, the Food Bank’s annual fund- and awareness-raising campaign. This series of events and happenings brings the city together in support of hunger relief, and it couldn’t come at a better time. More and more people are reaching out for help, and we in turn need your support today and throughout the holiday season.

The economic crisis has devastated families and left so many New Yorkers struggling. All through our network, we are seeing longer lines, greater need and signs that people are relying on us more than ever. At our Community Kitchen & Food Pantry of West Harlem, some first-time clients are changing the face of hunger. We’re seeing people standing on line in suits, people hit hard by the recession and struggling to recover. A lost job, a depleted savings account — recovery from these blows will be slow, and in the meantime, the Food Bank will continue to be a safety net for those in need.

Despite the economy, over the fall the Food Bank recently saw great success raising funds and awareness for hunger relief at the Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival, as over 40,000 attendees celebrated our city’s culinary culture. I’m so proud of our partnership with the festival — thank you to everyone who made it possible!

And as we approach the holidays, we rely on your continued support to meet the increased need in New York City. When the lines at soup kitchens swell, we see an urgent need in those crowds. Help us spread the word — share our stories with friends, family and coworkers by passing on this post. And be sure to browse our website for further information on the population we serve, our programs, upcoming events and more. Thank you for your support!

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

by Paul Hernandez

“If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere” — I can practically hear Frank Sinatra singing those words as my imagination conjures them. Why is that song stuck in my head? You might be surprised at first, but I have been hearing this song in my head when I’ve met some of the New Yorkers served by the Food Bank For New York City.

Sinatra himself clearly had made it in New York. But, I would argue, there are many more people to whom this statement should apply as well: the recipients and beneficiaries of the Food Bank’s programs and services.

Many of the people I’ve met who rely on the Food Bank have lived in New York City for many years, if not their whole lives. We’ve come to know them and their families through our citywide network of food assistance programs —  including our Community Kitchen in Harlem — as well as our tax assistance, food stamp outreach and nutrition and health education programs. And we can certainly attest to the fact that they have “made it” here.

New York City’s working poor often find themselves holding down more jobs, for more hours, than is imaginable to many of us — on top of supporting children, attending school and caring for sick or elderly family members. Many of them are bilingual and multi-cultural — both accepting and knowledgeable about peoples and cultures from around the world. They are street smart and personable, reasonable and kind, quick to help and quick to tell someone when they aren’t helping. In other words, they’re New Yorkers, making it here every day, resting assured that they could make it anywhere, if they so choose.

Paul Hernandez, a recent graduate of Princeton University, works in the Food Bank’s Business Partnerships department.

by Sylvia Wu

My time at EATWISE (Educated & Aware Teens Who Inspire Smart Eating) over the summer of 2008 was an experience I will never forget. I learned valuable information regarding food and nutrition, such as micro- and macronutrients, diet-related diseases and hunger and poverty. We used what we learned to conduct nutrition-education workshops for elementary school students, and volunteered at places like the Food Bank’s Community Kitchen and Senior Food Program.

In addition to teaching about good nutrition and helping provide food to other New Yorkers, we had meals of our own every Wednesday when we learned how to make healthy, nutritious food and snacks like maple almond granola.

EATWISE made me realize my passion for food and nutrition. I made many friends who helped make this my most memorable and unforgettable experience. Through all that we have learned and accomplished in this program, I know that I want to be a dietitian. I want to spread my love of food and nutrition, and the knowledge I have gained, to others who want to eat healthier, or who struggle with their weight. I want to impact others the way EATWISE has impacted me.

When Encore Senior Center opened its doors in 1977 in the basement of St. Malachy’s chapel in the heart of Times Square, Sister Lillian and Sister Elizabeth could not have imagined how the seed of their good intentions would grow. A member of the Food Bank’s food assistance program network, the soup kitchen and homebound delivery service now provides more than 169,000 meals a year. Currently operating above capacity, scaling back or slowing down is not on anyone’s mind, despite of the challenging economy.

This spring, Encore will expand their homebound program to pick up districts affected by other senior center closings that have not survived the lack of resources and higher demand. The staff and volunteers at Encore have already risen to the challenge. Serving more than 400 meals a day, Encore works closely with a nutritionist to follow the Department for the Aging regulations to ensure healthy eating standards. Often, seniors receive their only full daily meal from programs like Encore, so a balanced meal is of the utmost importance.

In addition to meals, Encore addresses the need for independence and community-building with activities like movie screenings, yoga classes and dances. “You don’t have to be a recluse,” shares Bob, a regular attendee. “You can meet people and talk to people.” Bob is not alone, with almost one in every six seniors in New York City relying on soup kitchens and food pantries. Encore Senior Center represents one of approximately 70 senior centers that the Food Bank partners with citywide.

Originally featured in Food For Thought Spring 2009 Spring 2009, the Food Bank’s print newsletter.
 

By John Leggio

I recently visited the Citizens Advice Bureau in Morrisania, the Bronx, where the Food Bank’s CookShop for Adults workshops are provided for groups of mainly young mothers from Africa and Latin America. Struck by the compassion, competence and professionalism of their CookShop for Adults facilitator, Juandy Paredes, I asked her tell you about the program in her own words:

Q: How does the community benefit from CookShop for Adults?
The program opens the community’s mind to the possibility of eating unfamiliar ingredients. The mothers know cooking basics, but the produce that can be found in our markets is foreign to them. They are much more familiar with the produce grown in their homelands. CookShop for Adults also connects our mothers to a bigger picture. They cook side by side with other moms of different cultures and languages. Cooking and eating together is kind of a universal language!

Q: How available are fresh fruits and vegetables in the South Bronx?
It’s getting a little better. We have a grocery store nearby that stocks some fresh produce. Certain basic fruits and vegetables are often not available. I have noticed a slight increase in pushcarts and sidewalk produce vendors in the neighborhood.

Q: What do you enjoy most about holding these groups?
I love interacting with the group and it gets me around healthy foods. Also, I enjoy the hands-on approach to cooking and eating. After you spend an hour handling, peeling, chopping, cooking and eating a particular vegetable it isn’t going to feel foreign any more! I make these CookShop recipes at home for my friends and family. The recipes are based on seasonal produce when they are at their most nutritious and delicious. Also, when they are in season, they tend to be the cheapest!

By Jesse Taylor

Emily is in her 80s and reminds me of my grandmother. While she is independent, I can see that she finds it difficult to carry the heavy, meal tray to her seat at the Community Kitchen, where I work. So I, or a volunteer, do it for her. Last night, Emily smiled and thanked me about a half dozen times. I just smiled back, grateful to be able to help.

Emily sometimes brings her six-year-old granddaughter to our soup kichen to eat with her, and she’s told me on more than one occasion how grateful she is that the Food Bank For New York City is here for her during this period of her life. Living on a fixed income of Social Security and a small pension, it’s difficult for her to meet her budget every month and without our soup kitchen, she say’s she wouldn’t be able to eat.

No one aspires to be impoverished and rely upon soup kitchen meals for day-to-day survival, let alone work their whole life to then find themselves on a food pantry line — but with the economy the way it is, there are more senior faces in the Community Kitchen's dining room than ever before. So many Emilys with nowhere to turn but the Food Bank's network of soup kitchens, senior programs and food pantries.

But for our Emily there is good news. Recently came to the Community Kitchen —  this time to be enrolled in the Food Stamp Program (now known as SNAP, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). And, while I’ll miss her visits, it’s great to know that once she begins receiving food stamps, we won’t be seeing much of Emily in the Community Kitchen anymore.