MANHATTAN, NEW YORK — On May 14, Food Bank For NYC’s fourth annual Gotham Ball turned the Seagram building red for a night celebrating what the city does best: taking care of its own.
This year’s theme was the Big Apple, and the night delivered on every bit of it. But beneath the glittering Big Apple disco ball, crimson florals, and candlelit tables drenched in scarlet is a crisis this city cannot ignore.
One in four New Yorkers experiences food insecurity. One in three kids in the Bronx doesn’t have enough to eat. Gotham Ball exists because those numbers demand a response — and this year, guests gave one, raising more than 3.5 million meals for New Yorkers across all five boroughs.
Guests began the evening with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at The Grill beneath the 18-foot Giving Tree installation, where glittering apple ornaments could be purchased to help fill a Food Bank For NYC truck with fresh produce. From there, they moved through immersive moments spotlighting real statistics of hunger across the city before entering The Pool for the dinner and program.
Leslie Gordon, President and CEO of Food Bank For NYC, opened the evening with the reality too many New Yorkers are living each day:
“Federal safety nets are fraying. SNAP participation is declining. Across our city, a record number of New Yorkers are struggling to put food on the table,” But you are here — because you not only care deeply about our mission, but the people behind it.”
The evening honored three New Yorkers recognized for using their platforms to uplift communities and drive change: nationally syndicated radio host and cultural commentator Charlamagne Tha God, celebrated restaurateur and chef Missy Robbins, and wellness advocate Isaac Boots. Together, the honorees reflected the spirit of the night itself — culture, community, and New Yorkers using their voices to step up for this city.
Charlamagne Tha God put the stakes plainly for families across our city: “COVID and the government shutdown showed us that working-class people are often just one paycheck away from not being able to put food on the table,” he said. “But the Food Bank For NYC was ready and able to help. That is what they do.”
Isaac Boots made the mission personal. “Not knowing where your next meal is coming from is a frightening reality. But it is a reality for so many people. Supporting organizations like Food Bank For NYC is critical because they are there for people when they need it most.”
Then Tony- and Emmy-winning performer Kristin Chenoweth took the stage. Before opening with a soaring rendition of “Que Sera, Sera,” the original Broadway Glinda in Wicked reflected on the people behind Food Bank For NYC’s mission and the power of showing up for others.
“What Food Bank For NYC does is extraordinary,” Kristin told the crowd. “A lot of you here tonight are like family, and it means so much to know there are people in this world who care.” As she reflected on the scale of the organization’s work — including more than 100,000 pounds of food distributed last year — she paused and laughed: “That’s like Godzilla!”
She closed with “For Good,” brought the crowd to its feet, and kept them there, dancing long into the night.
The night ended the way New York’s best nights usually do: loud, glamorous, and shoulder-to-shoulder on the dance floor. Guests returned to The Grill for an afterparty glowing in sequins, lacquer, neon red light, and the unmistakable feeling of a city showing up for its own.
“Good, healthy food is a basic human right, and too many people in our own city are being denied this right,” said Andrea Shaw Resnick, member of the Food Bank For NYC Board of Directors. “It is incumbent upon all of us who are able to lend our time, energy, and financial support to give back to our communities.”
Special thanks to our friends at Major Food Group, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, San Pellegrino and Acqua Panna, Bub’s Bakery, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Fres Co, Gallagher & Co., Himan Brown Charitable Trust, Tower Research Capital LLC who made the night — and the mission to end food insecurity— possible.
Because when New York comes together, we’re unstoppable.
