BRONX, NY, June 14, 2025 – “The food here is sometimes better than what you get in the supermarket,” said Patricia, a Bronx resident picking up groceries at Yankee Stadium. “It’s healthy, and it lasts.”
Every month, hundreds of Bronx families gather outside the ballpark—not to catch a game, but to take home fresh produce, pantry staples, and a reminder that their community has their back.
Since 2021, Yankee Stadium has doubled as a mobile food pantry through a partnership with Food Bank For New York City. What started as a pandemic response has become a lifeline in a borough where over one in three children face food insecurity.
“We’ve been working with Food Bank For NYC for years to combine resources and meet the needs of our community,” said Brian Smith, Senior VP of Corporate and Community Relations for the Yankees. “Without partners like them, this effort wouldn’t be possible.”
Beyond the Stadium Gates
But the Yankees’ impact extends far beyond the stadium gates. In addition to hosting monthly distributions, they support Food Bank For NYC’s broader operations—from volunteering at our Hunts Point warehouse to co-hosting holiday food and toy drives with the 44th Precinct.
They’ve helped provide back-to-school essentials, celebrated our volunteers, and most recently, donated $50,000 to our Strike Out Hunger match campaign following their 2024 World Series run.
From Warehouse to Home Plate
The strength of this decade-long partnership was recently featured on the YES Network’s Bronx Beat, which gave viewers an inside look at both the monthly distribution at the stadium and the behind-the-scenes work that powers it. At Food Bank For NYC’s 90,000-square-foot warehouse in Hunts Point, truckloads of food arrive daily, are sorted and packed by staff and volunteers, and sent out to distributions across the city—including to Yankee Stadium.
“We want the food to come in and out as fast as possible,” said Ronald Olaizola, Associate Director of Operations.
That sense of urgency is deeply personal to the Food Bank For NYC team. “I know what it’s like to wake up and not have food there,” said Marcus Stenson, Warehouse Selection Lead. “So, for me, this work is everything.”
“We see ourselves in the people we serve,” added Elizabeth Romano, who once stood in line as a single mother and now gives back by leading Food Bank For NYC’s Operations and Food Procurement team as Senior Director.
Playing for the Long Game
Thanks to long-standing partners like the Yankees, Food Bank For NYC can meet New Yorkers where they are at with dignity, consistency, and care.
The Yankees aren’t just showing up for the Bronx once a season. They’re showing up all year long—and helping ensure that New Yorkers have access to food that nourishes, empowers, and lasts.
