“The Food Bank is unique because they are not just the largest provider of food, serving over 1,000 food pantries and soup kitchens — we think of Food Bank as the thought leader as it relates to food policy across New York.
"The Food Bank has adjusted their model to understand that we have to address the root causes, which means the services that will lift people out of poverty and change their lives past one meal.”
—Eric Weingartner, Robin Hood Foundation.
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Children
With one out of five New York City children relying on emergency food, kids are one of the largest groups accessing our citywide network of food assistance programs. Recognizing the severity of childhood hunger in our city, the Food Bank provides a multi-pronged approach to fighting this problem. Read below for key statistics on childhood hunger in our city and stories on the children we help.
- Almost one-half (47 percent) of NYC households with children had difficulty affording needed food in 2009 — a 47 percent increase from 2003. (NYC Hunger Experience 2009)
- More than one out of four (27 percent) children in NYC (18 percent in the US) lived below the federal poverty level in 2008 (approximately $18,000 per year for a family of three). (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2008)
- Approximately 397,000 children were served by soup kitchens and food pantries in 2007 — a 48 percent increase since 2004. (NYC Hunger Safety Net 2007)
- Among NYC households with school-age children accessing emergency food, more than three-quarters (79 percent) participate in the National School Lunch Program while only 59 percent and 39 percent participate in the School Breakfast and Summer Food Service Program respectively. (NYC Hunger Safety Net 2007)
Learn more about childhood hunger in our city with the Food Bank policy paper, Child Hunger: The Unheathly Return on Missed Investments.
Read stories below about children who have received assistance through our network of more than 1,000 food assistance programs throughout the five boroughs. Real names are not used.
John, domestic violence shelter guest
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"John, along with his mother and younger brother, were victims of mental, emotional and physical abuse. Fortunately, they found the courage to leave and come here.
"Before they came here, John had to leave his school and his mother had to leave her job because of the abuse, and money was scarce. John's mother has had a real hard time trying to make her money stretch so that the kids can have enough to eat. She's told me that our Open Market BackPack Program has been a real lifesaver for her children — it feels so great that our services can make such a difference. Being able to shop for themselves makes the kids feel responsible. John's a real sweet kid. It's obvious he feels that he's helping his family and feels real good about it.
"John's mother said that he never wants to miss an opportunity to participate in the program. She always makes a point to show how thankful and appreciative she is by returning the tote bags neatly folded so they can be used again."
Told by a staff member of a domestic violence shelter that is part of the African America Planning Committee, Inc.
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Helen, Bronx food pantry guest
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"Hunger has no age. I can tell you that. Young people, seniors, people with jobs, people without jobs...everybody needs food. This food pantry is a necessity — people end up paying so much money in rent and medical bills that they don't have enough money to pay for food.
"I am one of them. I have a family, a son who's in school and a husband who's on disability. The last two weeks of the month are a struggle....We receive food stamps but it's not enough at the end of the month....
"When I come home with bags of food, I let my son know that I went to a food pantry and tell him that we should be thankful that this food is available. This is how we will eat. This is how we will survive."
We met Helen during pick-up at the Jewish Community Council of Pelham Parkway food pantry, a Food Bank network member.
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