Our Approach

In New York City, households with children are among the most vulnerable to food poverty. More than half of all households with children in our city struggle to afford food; a 32 percent increase since 2003. And the consequences of food poverty on children is striking — food-poor children are 90 percent more likely to have fair/poor health than excellent/good health.

Recognizing the severity of childhood hunger throughout the five boroughs, the Food Bank For New York City has developed a multi-pronged approach that attacks the problem from all available angles — from food distribution to nutrition and health education, financial empowerment for low-income families and public policy efforts.

With the goal of meeting the immediate needs of hungry New Yorkers, the Food Bank distributes food to a citywide network of more than 1,000 food assistance programs. More than one in five children in our city access soup kitchens and food pantries — as well as other program types in our network, including Open Market BackPack Programs — for free meals. The Food Bank's full network helps to provide approximately 102,000 free meals for children every day.

The Food Bank also provides a series programs that seek to educate and assist children and low-income families in striving toward healthy lifestyles and financial stability. Recognizing that low-income neighborhoods are often characterized by a lack of grocery stores, the prevalence of low-cost junk food and high concentrations of diet-related conditions, our Nutrition & Health Education Programs and initiatives — including CookShop Classroom for elementary-aged children, EATWISE: CookShop for Teens, and the Cafe S.H.A.K.E. fitness curriculum — help children and youth learn about the benefits of a healthy diet and how to access nutritious food. In addition, our Financial Empowerment Programs help low-income families afford needed food by helping them access the food stamp and tax incentives available to them.

With the goal of enacting legislative and procedural changes that will have long-term effects on the state of childhood hunger, the Food Bank also engages in a series of public policy efforts. Working with government, schools, community groups, parents and youth, the Food Bank encourages the expansion of access to and increased participation in federal child nutrition programs. Our intiatives currently include the Universal School Meals Campaign and the School Breakfast Participation and Summer Meals Initiatives.

Browse our website to learn more about New York City's hungry children, the Food Bank's Nutrition & Health Education and Financial Empowerment Programs and our Policy & Research efforts. For further questions about our city's children in need, please contact Ashley Baughman, Director of Research & Evaluation.