At Food Bank For New York City, we’re proud to serve one of the largest and most diverse LGBTQ+ communities in the United States. We do this by partnering with member agencies on the ground who are able to tailor their programming to meet the unique needs of the 1 in 5 LGBTQ+ New Yorkers currently facing food insecurity.
On this page, we’re going to introduce you to some of those partners and talk about the actions we’re taking to further uplift, support, and serve our LGBTQ+ neighbors.
FOOD INSECURITY IN THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY
LGBTQ+ residents in the state of New York
Sources: Movement Advancement Project, June 2021: Equality Maps; The Williams Institute, June 2021: LGBT Data & Demographics Maps; AARP New York, January 2021: 51 Years Since Stonewall – Health, Poverty, Housing Hurdles Still Plague LGBTQ 50+ NYers; Worse Since COVID: First of its Kind Report
According to the Williams Institute, prior to the pandemic, about 27 percent, or 3 million (3,029,000) LGBTQ+ adults in the United States were experiencing food insecurity. Among all food insecure LGBTQ+ adults, 66 percent identified themselves as women.
Source: UCLA Williams Institute. National Estimates of Food Insecurity: LGBT People and COVID-19. April 2020.
LGBTQ+ individuals that are Black (37.3 percent), Latinx (31.8 percent), American Indian (28.7 percent), and Pacific Islander (35.2 percent) reported food insecurity at higher rates than White (22.2 percent) or Asian/Asian American (7.7 percent) LGBTQ+ individuals.
Source: UCLA Williams Institute. National Estimates of Food Insecurity: LGBT People and COVID-19. April 2020.
According to the Williams Institute, more than one in five or 21.6 percent of LGBTQ+ individuals in America were already living in poverty prior to the pandemic. This is nearly 76 percent higher than the national poverty rate of 12.3 percent.
Source: UCLA Williams Institute. LGBT Poverty in the United States: A study of differences between sexual orientation and gender identity groups. October 2019.
Nearly one in five, or 19 percent of LGBTQ+ households reported that they were not getting enough food to eat every day since the pandemic began, compared to 6 percent of non-LGBTQ+ households.
Source: Movement Advancement Project. The Disproportionate Impacts of COVID-19 on LGBTQ Households in the U.S., November 2020.
Nearly one in three, or 32 percent of LGBTQ+ adults over the age of 18 with children participated in SNAP compared to 22 percent of non-LGBTQ+ adults over the age of 18 with children.
Source: The Williams Institute. Food Insecurity and SNAP Participation in the LGBT Community. July 2016.
Source: AARP. Disrupting Disparities: Solutions for LGBTQ New Yorkers Age 50+. January 2021.
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Our work to alleviate food insecurity and poverty in the LGBTQ+ community wouldn’t be possible without our phenomenal partners on the ground. They’re the ones who power our mission and enable us to reach LGBTQ+ New Yorkers all across the city.
The Ali Forney Center
The Ali Forney Center (AFC) is the largest most comprehensive program in the nation dedicated to meeting the needs of homeless LGBTQ youth. AFC’s mission is to provide homeless LGBTQ youths, aged 16-24, with the support and services they need to escape the streets and begin to live healthy and independent lives.
Location:
321 W 125th St.
212.206.0574
Boom! Health
BOOM!Health delivers a full range of services to individuals in the hardest-to-reach communities in the Bronx, New York. Services include harm reduction (such as clean syringe access) health care coordination, behavioral health, housing placement, legal, advocacy and wellness services including haircuts and meals. BOOM!Health strengthens efforts to remove barriers to accessing medical care, with particular emphasis on HIV and viral hepatitis prevention and care services.
Location:
226 East 144th Street
Bronx, NY 10451
Bronx LGBTQ Community Services Center – The Audre Lorde Project
Bronx LGBTQ Community Services Center – The Audre Lorde Project is a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Two Spirit, Trans and Gender Non Conforming People of Color center for community organizing, focusing on the New York City area. Through mobilization, education and capacity-building, we work for community wellness and progressive social and economic justice. Committed to struggling across differences, we seek to responsibly reflect, represent and serve our various communities.
Location:
147 West 24th Street, 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10011-1911
The Church of the Village - Hope for our Neighbors (Pantry and Soup Kitchen)
The Church of the Village is a progressive and radically inclusive community that is committed to dismantling racism sexism and all forms of oppression. This congregation is part of a long tradition of welcoming marginalized communities, especially those in the LGBTQIA+ community, and offering an affirming, gay-friendly church space. The church operates Hope for our Neighbors, a food pantry and soup kitchen that distributes bags of groceries and hot, community meals to individuals and families in need.
Location:
201 West 13th Street
New York, NY 10011
Destination Tomorrow
Destination Tomorrow is a grassroots agency in the South Bronx that provides services to and for the LGBTQ community. They offer comprehensive programs and services both in-house and referral-based. We also offer capacity building to agencies who wish to work with LGBTQ communities but lack the cultural competency and expertise. We strive for excellence as an agency and for our community settings.
Location:
452 E 149th St. 3rd Floor
Bronx, NY 10455
GMHC Food Pantry and Soup Kitchen
GMHC is a New York City–based non-profit, volunteer-supported and community-based AIDS service organization whose mission is to end the AIDS epidemic and uplift the lives of all affected. GMHC is the world’s first and leading provider of HIV/AIDS prevention, care and advocacy.
Location:
307 West 38th Street
New York, NY 10018
Hetrick-Martin Institute
The Hetrick-Martin Institute provides community, basic needs, health, education, and career services to thousands of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth between the ages of 13 and 24 and their families. Through a comprehensive package of direct services and referrals, Hetrick-Martin seeks to foster healthy youth development.
Location:
2 Astor Place
New York, NY 10003
IRIS HOUSE
Iris House, a member since 2009, saves lives through comprehensive support, prevention and education services for women, families, and under-served populations affected by HIV/AIDS and other health disparities. They provide meals to their guests using food secured through Food Bank For New York City.
Location:
2348 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard
(7TH Avenue between 137th and 138th Street)
New York, NY 10030
Phone: 646.548.0100
Safe Horizon
Safe Horizon provides assistance, advocacy, and support to victims who have experienced domestic violence, youth homelessness and other crimes. Safe Horizon provides meals to their guests using food secured from us by operating a pantry and providing breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Location:
53 Park Ave. #1
New York, NY 10035
Phone: 1-800-621-4673
SAGE Advocacy & Services for LGBT Elders
SAGE provides services ranging from pantry shopping and dinner meals to benefit access to LGBT seniors. SAGE, a member with Food Bank since 2014, uses the food through their pantry and dinner meals program.
Location:
305 7TH Avenue
15th Floor
New York, NY 10001
Phone: 212.741.2247
St. Ann’s Corner of Harm Reduction
St. Anne’s Corner of Harm Reduction, a member since 2008, provides non-judgmental quality access to persons for whom the social stigma attached to illicit drug use, their HIV/HCV status, poverty, race, gender identity, homelessness, and their many health problems, undermines their ability to access the services they require and deserve. They provide meals to their guests using food secured through Food Bank For New York City.
Location:
886 Westchester Ave.
Bronx, NY 10459
Phone: 718.585.5544
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Food Bank works on several fronts to eliminate hunger in New York City. The scale of our efforts is only possible because of our caring supporters. Gifts of time, talent, and treasure help to advance our mission.
