Food Bank For New York City offers our network of qualified community-based member programs a series of services aimed at increasing capacity and efficiency, as well as connecting them to the city’s larger hunger-relief community. With a range of services — covering areas of Food Sourcing & Distribution, Nutrition & Health Education and Financial Empowerment — provided to our network, Food Bank seeks to ensure the highest quality and overall effectiveness of the assistance available to New Yorkers in need by stipulating membership criteria for our network.
How to Join Our Network
Membership is open to community-based member programs providing meals or food packages such as food pantries, soup kitchens, senior centers, shelters, daycare centers and rehabilitation programs. Please review the membership criteria below, and contact us for more information about becoming a Food Bank For New York City network member.
- Your food assistance program must be located in an area of targeted recruitment as established by the Food Bank For New York City. This is done to make sure that the Food Bank’s resources are allocated strategically into all neighborhoods with need throughout the five boroughs.
- Your organization is an established food program or distributor that has been in operation once a week for a period of at least three months.
- Your food program is a tax-exempt organization as described in the 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service of the US Treasury Department. A copy of your organization’s 501(c)(3) must be provided.
- Your food program is located in a “community of need” or serves a special-needs population.
- Your food program conducts a distribution at least once per week.
- Your food program operates a client-choice model distribution.
- Your food program agrees to provide the Food Bank with the names of individuals authorized to take full responsibility for the program’s services, including board members, staff and volunteers.
- Your food program does not operate out of a personal residence.
- Your food program does not share space with programs from other organizations. Your storage area holds only those items issued for the use of your organization.
- Your food program serves New Yorkers in need free of charge. (Department for the Aging programs within our network are able to solicit voluntary donations.)
- Your food program does not and will not sell, transfer or barter items. (Transfer includes the removal of any Food Bank–delivered product from the approved site to any other location.)
- Your food program provides food free to all clients. Clients are not asked for donations or requested to participate in religious services to receive food.
- Your food program does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious beliefs, age, disabilities, sex or sexual preference.
- Your food program keeps records of the number of people served and inventory-control records to monitor the food product. Proof of these records must be shown before membership is granted.
- Your food program maintains high standards of sanitation and food safety with regard to food storage, distribution and meal preparation.
- Your organization is willing to have its site(s) visited as needed by a representative of the Food Bank.
- Your food program agrees to place an order for food within the first three months of membership or forfeits its membership. Your food program must place orders for food at least once every three months thereafter or risk inactivation of your participation.
- Your food program agrees to complete meal-count reports on a monthly basis and submit to the Food Bank for purposes of reporting.
- Your food program agrees to provide the Food Bank with necessary information regarding any change in program/administrative location, primary staffing, structure etc. in a timely manner.
- Your food program practices active means of encouraging participation and utilization of your services to all segments of the community. (e.g., outreach, flyers, etc.)
- Your food program maintains sufficient storage space to receive product.
- Your food program will have appropriate personnel present at your delivery location on the days of scheduled deliveries to receive products from the Food Bank.
- Your food program maintains at least one active email address and has regular access to the Internet, either on- or off-site.
