by Krystine Keeler

This past February, the Food Bank began a partnership with CUNY Prep — a New York City transitional high school that offers out-of-school youth an opportunity for full-time study for the purposes of re-entering high school or qualifying for admission to college by obtaining a GED. At the school, Science Teacher & Assistant to the Director for Green Education & Initiatives Edwin Alexander spends much of his time running an internship program, the purpose of which is to help CUNY Prep students enter the work force. This is where the Food Bank comes in.

Bianca Rodriguez, Student, CUNY Prep “I’m doing a volunteer internship at the Community Kitchen. Serving food here, I’ve learned to be more grateful for everything I have. It’s my first work experience too!”

By placing CUNY Prep interns at our Community Kitchen & Food Pantry of West Harlem, students are able to experience an environment where they can learn skills and habits that they will be able to take out into the working world. Securing a good career is part of the CUNY Prep mission, the internship program is a step in that direction.

To learn more about this great school and internship program, here is a short interview with Edwin Alexander:

What do you hope your interns will learn through their experiences at the Community Kitchen?
Our interns will learn to develop a positive work ethic and adhere to the principals which are present and ever so important to possess in the work place.

This is the second time you have had interns placed at the Community Kitchen. What were some of the reasons you chose to maintain your relationship with us?
The professionalism of the entire staff, the wonderful experiences in which my students have shared with me about the Food Bank For New York City and the constant conversations Ms. Keeler and I shared in regards to my interns’ work ethics, time sheets and professional opportunities.

What have your interns communicated to you about their Community Kitchen experiences that you believe they may not have gained had they not been interning?
My interns have communicated to me that they gained a better sense of self and appreciation for what they possess. Furthermore, they expressed how great it feels to work in the pantry and kitchen.

Part of your wish for your interns is that they learn to value and respect employment, with all of the risks and rewards inherent to having a job. Do you believe that they are learning to value employment and become responsible employees?
Yes, I do. I do also believe that they need more training and workshops on my end, which would stress the importance of a healthy work environment and positive work ethics. Furthermore, I believe that students need to continue to develop and work on being better employees.

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 Ivory Smith

I am from Baltimore County, Maryland, so completing my internship in New York City was a big deal for me. I attend a small liberal arts college there. Here at the Food Bank, I am the Communications & Marketing Intern for the Marketing & Communications Department in the Downtown Manhattan office.

Hoda Kodb (NBC Today Show) at the Target Party for Good

Next May, I will be graduating with a degree in Visual Communications Design. Since starting college in 2007, I have been studying graphic design and I feel as though I have not had the opportunity to explore the communications side of my degree as in depth as the graphic design part, and I feel it is important for me to venture out and explore different career paths. When thinking about where to do my internship, I knew a few things: I wanted to be at a nonprofit working for a political or social cause, it had to be in New York City and, finally, it had to be in marketing or public relations.

Food Bank for New York City offered everything on my list — including a marketing and public relations experience. Ultimately, I chose the Food Bank because it exists to make a difference in the lives of others. Surely I could have spent my summer back home working in a coffee shop, but to make a difference and be a part of an important initiative —fighting hunger — was an opportunity I didn’t want to turn down. I do not know exactly what I will end up doing after graduation, but I know that I want to help people, and I am starting here.

I began my internship June 7 and have experienced a lot since. I have made updates to the website, fought with copy machines, logged media placements, organized the photo archive, posted blogs and more. I had the opportunity to be a part of the Target Party for Good and the NYC Food Film Festival. I also had a chance to visit the warehouse in Hunts Point, Bronx and volunteer at the Community Kitchen & Food Pantry of West Harlem. The great thing about being an intern here is that I was able to experience everything.

Since being here, I have really gotten a feel for what it is like working for a nonprofit organization. I have learned a lot about marketing, public relations and communications, and have built an understanding of the role the media plays in all of these areas. Most importantly, I was able to join the fight to stop hunger. My time at the Food Bank will help me make decisions as I go through my final semesters at Stevenson University. Hopefully I will be able to take the knowledge I have gained and use it towards the rest of my time in school and my future career. I will not soon forget my many experiences here and all the wonderful people I have met.

Read more about my experience at the Food Bank and find more photos on my personal blog!

If you are interested in interning at the Food Bank, contact us today!
 

by Ashley Goforth

How’s that New Year’s Resolution going? It’s July now, meaning we are halfway through 2010. Have you made good on anything you vowed to do more of (or less of) in 2010? At the beginning of 2010, we talked to a few of our staff members about their New Year’s resolutions. Now we want to help you reach your goals. In the hopes that come December you will have made good on one of those resolutions, we’ve gathered a few helpful ways to make a change in your life and the lives of your fellow New Yorkers based on popular resolutions:

Get Fit: After you’ve done your best to Change One Thing, you may be looking to add a bit more exercise to your routine. Perfect! We’ve got stairs, we’ve got lifting, constant motion and a bit of walking when you sign up to volunteer at our Community Kitchen & Food Pantry of West Harlem. Or grab a group from work and head up to our Bronx warehouse to repack donated bulk items. Either way, you’ll be moving and burning calories and helping the 1 in 5 New Yorkers who rely on the Food Bank.

Spend More Time with Family: It’s hard to juggle work, school, family and friends all at once, there’s no question about it. Maybe this year you’ve resolved to spend a little more face time with the ones you love. Spending a couple hours a month helping our programs on the front lines of poverty puts life into perspective for many of our volunteers. It also gives you a chance to team up with your fellow volunteers! The Food Bank has more than 1,000 network members throughout the five boroughs that can always use volunteers. Check out our Food Program Locator for a program near you and resolve, with your loved ones, to give back to your community.

Quit ----- [insert vice]: Say your vice costs about $10 a week to maintain. Or say you spend $50 a week sipping away at another vice. Here’s what the cost of that vice means to the Food Bank: $10/wk = 200 meals a month. $50/wk = 1,000 meals. Having trouble quitting? Donate a month’s worth of your vices as a commitment to help yourself, and help others. Keep your donation receipt near you to remind yourself that not only are you working hard to follow your resolution, you’ve also helped us provide much needed meals to New Yorkers in need.

Eat More Vegetables: Lead by example on this one. Sign up to volunteer for one of our CookShop programs. It will be nigh impossible to NOT eat healthy with all the excitement from the students, the inspiring teachers and the lush fruits, vegetables and legumes in each lesson. CookShop is in more than 700 public school and after school classrooms, and during the school year teachers need our help! The Food Bank trains volunteers to go into the classrooms and support nutrition education.

Stick to Your Budget: Plan ahead! Instead of a yearly donation, why don’t you set up automatic monthly donations? Just make a donation online and check the box that says "Yes, automatically repeat this gift every month." Then, donating to the Food Bank doesn’t have to go on your to do list each holiday season! A successful budget is one that prepares for everything! Like your tickets to the Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival, benefitting the Food Bank and Share Our Strength...

Remember: “The need of doing, therefore, is pressing, since the time of doing is short.” Samuel Johnson

From top: One of two areas where attendees packed meals; volunteers in action (some attendees packed three to five boxes each!); one of many warehouse-themed decorations at the party.

On June 28, the Food Bank For New York City had the pleasure of participating in and benefiting from Target’s “Party for Good,” an exciting event that was held at an undeveloped warehouse on the East River. The party was in honor of the attendees, facilitators and supporters of the National Conference of Volunteering and Services, where leaders in the volunteering and service world met for three days to share best practices and participate in informative workshops.

Not only did Target throw a terrific party for the “volunteer coordinators of the world,” but they also included a HUGE volunteer activity that night! Partying and volunteering – is there any other better combination?

Party attendees packaged 150,000 meals that were distributed to children and families at  the Food Bank’s member soup kitchens and food pantries across the five boroughs. Who knew that a party could be so good while doing so much good?

Watch this video to see what the warehouse looked like before and after Target decorated it, along with some clips of the party in action.

Thank you to Target for hosting such a brilliant event, and to everyone who attended!

by Heather Joseph

From top: The mom bloggers, Cheryl Hines and I show off our reusable canvas bags; Cheryl Hines talks about her commitment to hunger relief and her participation in the Better Than a Picnic picnic.

What happens when you combine a group of dedicated mom bloggers, Hebrew National hot dogs, Cheryl Hines of HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm and Randall’s Island? You get a fun-filled day supporting both the Food Bank For New York City and Hebrew National’s Better-Than-A-Picnic. On Saturday, May 22,  NYC Mom Bloggers hosted the event that was chock full of fun. I was there on site to partake in the festivities and, of course, represent the Food Bank.

Randall’s Island served as a great backdrop. Families were everywhere, enjoying the beautiful spring day on the soccer field, softball fields and playing in the park. Hebrew National set up a wiener wagon serving up yummy, piping hot hotdogs. Cheryl Hines was on site, not only speak of her relationship with Hebrew National but to comment on her commitment to raising hunger awareness nationally. In addition to the hotdogs, this free, family-friendly event had a mechanical bull (screams fun, no?) and a station to decorate reusable lunch bags that were then donated to our Community Kitchen & Food Pantry of West Harlem.

And a point about these phenomenal mom bloggers! Gracious is not enough of a word to explain how engaging and welcoming they were. It started with Emily of themotherhood.com who worked to ensure that I got there and back home safely — car service :*two major thumbs up.* Meeting her cohort of other mom bloggers meant hearing sincere enthusiasm for 1) being awesome moms and 2) working to install, at an early stage, commitment to helping others in need. These moms rocked!

The day served as a great way for all family members to gets involved in a great cause. Doing good, on a full stomach and learning about the Food Bank’s dedication to helping New Yorkers in need— what at great day.

By the way, Cheryl Hines is extremely sweet and not at all a TV show diva! She enjoyed learning about the Food Bank and even made a really cool reusable lunch bag.

Whether you’re a parent, a New Yorker, a foodie  or just someone who like to support conscientious people, we hope you’ll enjoy all of the great mom-bloggers who came out in support of hunger relief!

MOM BLOGGERS
Amy O., Selfish Mom
Amy P., Long Island Parent Source
Anna, Mommy Poppins
Carol, NY City Mama
Cecily, Upper Case Woman
Emily, TheMotherhood.com
Isabel, Alpha Mom
Jen, Next Kid Thing
Kelsey, Naptime Chef
Kimberly, Mom in the City
Jo-Lynne, Musings of a Housewife
Lisa, New York Chica
Melissa, Girly Mama
Suzanne, Mom Confessionals 
Whitney, Mommies with Style 

by Caitlin Buckley

When I started at the Food Bank last July, I changed not just jobs but cities — almost two weeks after my first day here, I went back to Somerville, MA, to finish packing, and the next day my boyfriend and I moved into our new apartment in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. Until then, I had been a near-lifetime Massachusetts resident, and moving to New York City fulfilled a long-held wish. While much thought and discussion went into which borough to live in, we both felt sure that we wanted to be here.

Almost a year later, I still feel like a recent transplant, exploring my own neighborhood and making only occasional trips to other boroughs, but the Food Bank has taken me all over the city. Because of my job I’ve had so many places to go — Richmond Hill, Queens, to visit the River Fund; down to the ferry to travel to Community Health Action of Staten Island; up to the Bronx for a story on St. Ann’s Episcopal Church (stay tuned, it’ll be posted here soon!); and back to Brooklyn for a tour of Oneg Shabbos, a kosher food pantry in Borough Park — all members of the Food Bank's food program network. And volunteering at events has taken me even more places — Chelsea Piers for the Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival, Times Square for our Annual Agency Conference. And of course, I’ve been up and down the city visiting the Food Bank’s own locations — from our Downtown Manhattan office on Broadway, to the Community Kitchen & Food Pantry of West Harlem, to our warehouse up in Hunt’s Point, Bronx.

These travels have enriched my experience of New York City and introduced me to many more people than I would have met at a different job. I can’t wait to see where the Food Bank takes me next.

Want your own excuse to travel around New York City? Explore our volunteer opportunities today! Plus, fill out our online Volunteer Application and receive notices about special needs that may not get posted online.

by Deanna Michalopolous

It’s clear that something must be done about the state of child nutrition in our country. New York State’s Department of Health notes that many diseases that were previously associated only with adulthood (type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer, to name a few) are now being seen in overweight and obese children. The United States military recently said that child nutrition is even a matter of national security: a new report shows that more than quarter of all Americans ages 17 to 24 are too overweight to join its ranks.

But things are looking up in Miss P.’s lively classroom. Students were so excited during their Lettuce Explorer lesson, you’d have thought I’d promised them puppies for trying the crunchy greens. It’s funny that literally getting their hands on three types of the vitamin-packed leaves created such anticipation to scarf it down — and in large quantities. I’m thinking parents need to revisit their rules on “playing with food” if they want their kids to eat more veggies. How’s that for nutrition policy?

But in the meantime, I was hoping all the enthusiasm from the Lettuce Explorer lesson would translate into the corresponding cooking class. When I arrive in the classroom, I first play sous chef by slicing carrots and apples so students can easily cut them into smaller pieces for the salad they’re about to make. Miss P will supervise the students that dice the carrots and apples, while I help the kids who are ripping lettuce leaves into our massive salad bowl. I’ve got three types of lettuce again — iceberg, red leaf and romaine — so I hand out a few leaves to each of the students at a time, taking a few moments to explain that bite-size pieces will be easier to chew.

“I want to eat some soo badly!” a boy says. (Parents, take note: Let the kids help you cook and they’ll literally beg you to eat veggies!) After I remind them that it’s not polite to eat until everyone has a completed dish, I turn to my left and see a girl chewing and looking a bit guilty.

When it’s time to make the dressing, the class circles around a table and Miss P. lets me take over. I’m eager to see how they’ll like this salad because we’re going to splash a very grown-up dressing onto it — one that happens to be my favorite at home. Each student lends a hand to squeeze a few lemons and measure 1 tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. black pepper, ½ cup olive oil and 1 tsp. oregano and garlic powder into the bowl. Garlic powder—I’d have thought it was too pungent for the kids, but I’m excited to have them try it. (At home I mince 1 or 2 cloves of fresh garlic, depending on whether I have to talk to people afterward.)

A few children get a turn tossing the salad before the class is sent to their seats for mealtime. I scoop the salad into more than two dozen bowls while one girl passes out sporks and napkins and Miss P. pours apple juice. Once everyone had a dish, it was time for the countdown: “One … two … three … TASTE!”

I can hear the kids considering before a hum of mmms sound throughout the room. Most of them like it! The slightly spicy garlic powder balanced the sweetness of the apples and carrots.

While a few students politely put down their fork, most of them gobbled it up — and several came up for seconds. One boy grinned as he held out his bowl: “Please give me more apples! They’re my favorite!”
 

by Deanna Michalopolous

I was a little wary about this week’s explorer lesson in lettuce. Even though I believe salads are anything but boring — I fulfilled a craving for an Asian chicken salad in the middle of writing this post — I wasn’t sure how enthralled the students would be by a single leaf of lettuce. But, as I’m learning, kids surprise you. 

When I first got to class, Miss P. introduced the ingredient by reading a letter from a New York farmer who grows lettuce on her land. Ms. P. also reminded the students that lettuce was a mealtime fave of the classroom’s two guinea pigs, Oreo and Furball. As if CookShop arranged for this to happen, the two moppy-haired pets started rattling around their cages on cue, which delighted the children and set an energetic tone for the rest of the lesson.

“What kind of toppings do you put on your lettuce at home?” asked Miss P. More than a dozen hands shot into the air. A lot of the kids repeated tomatoes and carrots, but one boy talked about croutons and ranch dressing (yum) while another one even suggested cheese and dried cranberries (how sophisticated!).

Then Miss P. split up the students in two groups, and I sat down with mine to explore three different heads of lettuce: iceberg, red leaf and romaine. First I asked them to name each type (they had just learned them in the reading session) and describe each one as I tore off leaves to hand out. Iceberg lettuce felt “smooth,” “yellow like an egg inside” and “cold like a penguin.” Red leaf was “curly” and “purple.” Romaine was “long” and … “it smells like a watermelon!” I paused to take a whiff and have to admit the kid had cred: It actually smelled like watermelon.

At this point, they were getting antsy and begging to bite into the leaves. Some had folded them into long lettuce pouches they dubbed “burritos.” Finally, we ran out of words to describe how the green stuff looked, smelled, felt and sounded, and the only thing left to do was countdown. “One … two … three … TASTE!” They were gobbling up the raw lettuce leaves like rabbits and requesting thirds and fourths. I could barely tear off the leaves at the rate they were asking for more.

By the time we were finished, there were lettuce shreds everywhere — on their chairs, on the floor, even on their heads! I glanced at Miss P’s table, where her group was peacefully munching with the platter of lettuce heads still neatly intact. Well, I may not have the authority of a teacher, but I do have tricks up my sleeve: To get the kids to clean up, I told them to gather all the littered lettuce shreds to feed to the guinea pigs.

by Deanna Michalopolous

On my first day as a CookShop volunteer, I’m glad to see kindergarten rooms haven't changed too much since '89. The walls are still bedecked with construction paper and alphabet posters. Still, I'm a bit intimidated by the 25 curious children peering up at me.

“One, two three, all eyes on me!” says the teacher, Miss P., to get the students’ attention. “1-2, all eyes on you!” the students chime back. I file that technique away for future use.

I'm there to assist Miss P. with a Carrot Chef lesson. The previous week, during the Carrot Explorer lesson, the kids learned how carrots grow and about their nutritional value. This week, the kids will learn to cook healthy Glazed Carrots from scratch.

I start slicing bundles of fresh carrots into narrow sticks that will be easier for the students to chop with their plastic knives. Half the students join Miss P. around the cooking table to dice the carrot sticks and toss the pieces into a silver bowl.

Meanwhile, the other group shows me the kidney bean plants they had planted the week before in small plastic cups. The students eyed each other’s cups with pride or envy, noting which cups had big bright green, six-inch stalks, already producing a bean or two, and whose were eking out an inch-high stem. We talk about the roots that are wrapping their way around the bottom of the cup. I ask the children to describe what made their plants grow, and their answers are spot on: Sun! Water! Fresh air! I went to my family’s garden in Bangladesh! I saw plants in Nashville! (Wait, what?)

“One, two three, all eyes on me!” Miss P. rotates the groups, and I scramble to pass out the rest of the plastic cups of carrot slices.

Now a group of students is helping Miss P. pour water, orange juice, honey, balsamic vinegar and a bit of salt into the big bowl. A few students are charged with mixing it all so the carrots are coated evenly. Then the children return to their seats as Ms. P. and I make the final preparations. The balsamic vinegar sends off a pungent odor, but the students don’t seem put off. They’re eager to taste what they just made…and it’s just about ready.

Students come up five at a time for a scoop of the carrots, but no one digs in yet: it’s a CookShop Classroom tradition that no one tastes until everyone has a share. Finally, everyone has a bowl in front of them. Then it’s “one…two…three…TASTE!”

Approving mmm’s echo across the room. Even Miss P. and I nod favorably to one another — the carrots are good! They balance the right amount of sweet with a slight kick from the balsamic vinegar. Soon all of the students are coming up for seconds, and one girl is chided for sneaking in for thirds. Miss P. tells the students that their parents can find the recipe online. One happy boy shouts, “Good, I was going to ask you about that!”