This January and February, the Food Bank held volunteer trainings for CookShop, our series of nutrition and health education programs for adults as well as elementary and high school students. We were able to successfully train more than 200 volunteers in three trainings – and that’s almost four times the number of volunteers we had last year!
After being trained, these volunteers will be placed in one of two programs, CookShop Classroom or CookShop For Adults.
Some of the things the volunteers learned in the training were proper knife skills, how to engage 5-7 year olds in nutrition education, how certain plants grow, how to purchase nutritious food on a sustainable income and even a surprisingly delicious recipe involving celery, carrots, orange juice and mustard!
By mid-February, our new CookShop volunteers will be helping teach low-income adults and children about nutrition and healthy living across all five boroughs.
By doing so, these volunteers are helping the Food Bank achieve a key element of ending food poverty – increasing the health of our city. New York City's low-income neighborhoods suffer from a high incidence of diet-related diseases such as diabetes, obesity and hypertension – and CookShop is on the frontline of the Food Bank’s efforts to change this reality.
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.
Working on the Adopt a Food Program initiative, a partnership between the Food Bank For New York City and NYC Service, I have had significant contact with many of the food assistance programs in our citywide network. This is a diverse group of people serving a wide variety of needs, but I have noticed one constant: in the difficult economic times we are currently going through, food programs are struggling with a rising demand for their services.
Food pantries and soup kitchens are seeing an influx of working poor: people who work part-time, full-time and often multiple jobs, but still need a little extra help to feed themselves and their families. At the same time, available funding is decreasing as individual and institutional funders are coping with diminishing resources — leading many food programs to cut back on services.
This all might sound rather alarming, but there is hope. In a time of great need, volunteers have the opportunity to make a truly lasting impact. Working with many of these programs, I have seen firsthand how volunteers are providing organizations with the support they need not only to maintain, but to improve services. Volunteers from Adopt a Food Program also bring skills and ideas from their own life, such as grantwriting or marketing, that can contribute a fresh perspective to their adopted food program, enhancing collaboration and innovation.
In the past, I have seen so much accomplished by people working only for the knowledge that they are contributing to something much bigger than themselves. I love the enthusiasm and dedication volunteers bring to their work. So far I have seen that passion in the many groups and individuals involved with Adopt a Food Program, and I am excited to see the results of their hard work.
We began by reaching out to soup kitchens and food pantries in the Food Bank’s citywide network, asking them to name their top three priorities that a volunteer could help with. Choices ranged from grantwriting to maintenance and site beautification.
With our network’s input in hand, it was then the public’s turn. Kicking off the initiative, Mayor Bloomberg joined Food Bank President and CEO Lucy Cabrera for a press conference at our Hunts Point warehouse, asking individuals and groups to “adopt” a local food program. Adopt a Food Program volunteers are asked to commit three months to a year of their time to assist one of our city's food assistance programs. During this time they will work side-by-side with their program's staff to create the basis for long-term capacity and service improvements — enabling that program to better serve its community over time.
Now that we have a list of food programs and their needs, as well as a list of volunteers who want to adopt a program, we — Phillip Cooke, Amruta Kale and myself, the Food Bank’s NYC Civic Corps members in residence — have begun the matching process. Just a few weeks ago, Ms. Nayah Paul made a six-month commitment to be a grantwriter at the Jamaica Hispanic Seventh Day Adventist Church. Quick on the heels of that introduction, our second match was made: Ms. Navjot Kaur made a six-month commitment as a fundraiser for New Life Food & Clothing Pantry in Elmhurst, Queens.
We are all looking forward to making many matches in the future!
O'Neil Hutchinson and Jeff Barker, New York City President, Bank of America
While we think all of our volunteers deserve awards and recognition, we’re especially glad that Bank of America is able to help us celebrate O’Neil’s dedication to the community. Working nights on computer networking, O’Neil has been preparing, cooking and serving meals at our Community Kitchen two to three days a week for almost two years! Even if you ignore the extraordinary amount of time he donates to the Food Bank and forget for a moment how consistently he volunteers week after week, anyone who sees O’Neil in action immediately recognizes how much of a difference he makes at the kitchen. O’Neil takes his role at the Community Kitchen very seriously, and his dedication to the New Yorkers we serve is immediately evident. Let’s just say he has been confused as an actual Food Bank employee on more than one occasion — sometimes by actual Food Bank staff!
And — to top it all off — O’Neil’s award was given as part of Bank of America’s Neighborhood Excellence Initiative, which donates $5,000 to the organizations its heroes serve. Thanks to this gift given in O’Neil’s honor, the Food Bank will be able to provide 25,000 meals for New Yorkers in need. That is enough to provide nutritious meals for a family of five for close to four years! We couldn’t thank O’Neil enough for his phenomenal dedication to serving the community, and we are so gratified that we are not the only ones to recognize him as a hero. And thank you, Bank of America, for bringing attention to the value of volunteers and helping to provide meals for hungry New Yorkers.
It’s that time of year again — you know, the one where you find yourself stretching your budget to buy gifts for the people you care about. Maybe it’s not as bad as last year, or maybe you are facing a depletion of your savings and realize it’s going to be a smaller holiday this time. As someone who’s always into helping others and showing people I care, I’ve put together a few ideas for surviving the holiday season.
For the brother you’ve already bought a star and donated a chicken for: Give meals for New Yorkers in need — in his honor! Every $1 you give helps provide 5 meals to New Yorkers in need. Donate $25 dollars, and when you personalize the tribute gift card that we’ll send to your little bro, let him know that 250 meals will be provided to hungry New Yorkers in his name, thanks to you! (Or, donate $97,500 and let Uncle Steve know the gift he received can provide a meal to every inhabitant on Staten Island.)
For the friend that’s always saying the holidays are too commercial: Volunteer for an afternoon. Snap a photo of the fun you have buttering bread, mopping floors and slinging soup. Get a frame from a dollar store and voila! Give it to your friend with a card letting her know you donated your time on her behalf for a day of service. Find a program in your area to support with our Food Program Locator. REGIFT IDEA! If someone gives this to you as a gift, schedule a volunteer day with them as a way to give back! BONUS POINTS: Make your day of volunteering into the first step toward a New Year’s resolution to volunteer more often.
For the aunt who constantly brings up your lack of motivation or (insert character flaw here):
Sign up for a personalized Virtual Food Drive — where the donations are virtual, but the food is for real. Just sign up, set a fundraising goal, post a photo if you like and email friends and family inviting them to help others during the holiday season by contributing toward your goal. Plus, get the word out on Twitter, by donating your Facebook status or creating a video ask on YouTube. Be creative!
For the parents who still complain about having to clean out your room:
Spring isn’t the only time for cleaning! Clean out your childhood room or city apartment and donate excess food and items to your local food assistance program, many of which provide more than just food to their clients. Do you really need three winter coats? Do you really still want a bedroom filled with stuffed animals? A winter cleaning of your stuff can provide much needed canned food, clothes and toys to your local food pantry or soup kitchen. Check out our Food Program Locator to find a program near you. BONUS POINTS: Volunteer for the afternoon when you drop off your stuff. REGIFT IDEA! Donate that t-shirt from Aunt Laura you never wear. Just tell her it didn’t fit too well and you thought someone in need would get better use out of it. How mad can she be, knowing you meant well by donating gently used items.
*Remember to call ahead and ask if your local program can handle the amount of items you plan on bringing.
BONUS NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION IDEA:
Donate your time, a bit of gumption and your skills and volunteer during tax season. Annually, the Food Bank’s Tax Assistance Program has assisted low- to moderate-income New Yorkers complete up to 50,000 tax returns, helping to provide as much at $100 million in tax refunds. You can be Pat Sajac with a calculator. The happiness and financial stability you could help bring a New Yorker in need is more than worth the effort
Posted At: December 3, 2009 3:36 PM | Posted By: Food Bank
Related Categories:
Volunteering
by Shoshana Sakolsky
The holiday season is a great time for food. It's also a meaningful time for volunteers. Most soup kitchens and food pantries get an over abundance of help on the November and December holidays, but struggle the rest of the year to fill their shifts. If you can volunteer on Thanksgiving, Christmas or Hanukkah, by all means, please do — just don't forget the other 364 days a year that New Yorkers are relying on food assistance to get by.
It's easy to remember to help out on holidays that emphasize giving thanks or the value of giving back. It's easy to remember people less fortunate than you when you're feeling so filled up on love and luck. It's much harder to remember that the same people who struggle over the holidays also struggle the day after, and the one after that.
Hunger doesn't know holidays and it doesn't take a vacation. If you have an extra can of food, or an hour or two to spare, give that to someone who needs it. If you have an extra few dollars, give that. As long as you remember to give of yourself, anything you are able to contribute goes a long way.
The clients I work with at Grand Central Neighborhood Social Services Corp — a Food Bank member soup kitchen I have been volunteering with since June — are some of the most gracious people I've met. They come in looking tired and sometimes grumpy, but most of them cheer up after a plate of food. While I encounter some people who are unhappy, more often than not, they make a point of thanking me for my time. They thank me for smiling and for making them feel taken care of. I go because I get a natural high from being there, knowing that, for a few hours, I made someone feel less weary. That's what giving is about, and that's what we all should be doing at every chance we get.
“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.
It was a rainy day, especially at 6:00 am. However, that did not stop almost twenty Food Bank volunteers from traveling up to an hour and a half to support us on the CBS Early Show and root for the Yankees as they headed into game one of the World Series!
If the Yankees win, the Philadelphia market will donate an entire truck load (10 tons) of produce to the Food Bank For New York City! And, if the Phillies win, the Hunts Point Market will donate the same to Philabundance, Philadelphia’s local food bank— so (sports fandom aside) this is really a win-win situation for hunger relief.
Not that we really need a new reason to cheer, but here in New York this is another great reason to root for the home team. And now that the series stands at Yanks-3, Phillies-1, tonight's game could clinch it for New York. Go Yankees!
view more photos by our volunteer photographer, Tran Dinh
see the photos I took while live tweeting from the festival
When I first heard about the Chef One Dumpling Festival back in August, I made sure that a volunteer slot would be saved for me. And, even though this outdoor event fell on a rainy day, I was really glad I had.
An Asian-food company that produces Chef One and three other brands, TMI has been a dedicated Food Bank partner, donating more than 150,000 lbs. of food over the past two years. But what I was most impressed by was their staff’s enthusiasm for our cause. Whenever announcements were being made and throughout the eating contest, TMI representatives continually spoke about how important it was to them to involve the Food Bank and promote the fight to end hunger. Even while helping a TMI staff person clean up one of the festival’s booths, when I mentioned I work at the Food Bank, she immediately replied, “Oh! This event is for you!”
And TMI’s support just keeps coming – right now, when you buy their Tang’s Natural products at Whole Foods, a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Food Bank. So, get down to Whole Foods, look for the “Tang’s Natural Goes Orange” stickers and help support the Food Bank and this great, socially aware company – and enjoy the dumplings!
Kate Hindin, This Is Your Life
Kate Hindin said: Thank you Daniel for this wonderful homage! I will always cherish my time at the Food Bank. I got to...
[More]
A Taste of Tennis
San Antonio Tennis Lessons said: Wow great food and a a great sport, what more could you ask for?
[More]
The Food Bank was on the show last week because the 
