Volunteer

Volunteer Registration for NYCWFF is NOW OPEN!

The Food Network & Cooking Channel’s New York City Wine & Food Festival (NYCWFF), presented by Capital One, showcases the world’s most renowned chefs, wine and spirit producers, culinary personalities, lifestyle experts, and America’s most beloved television chefs while raising funds to support New Yorkers facing hunger and severe illness. This year, NYCWFF’s mission to “EAT. DRINK. FEED NYC.” will benefit Food Bank For New York City and God’s Love We Deliver to support New Yorkers in need and to celebrate the recovering NYC hospitality industry.

This year’s Festival will take place Thursday, October 14 – Sunday, October 17, 2021. With over 60 events at locations across New York City, NYCWFF pays homage to one of the greatest dining cities in the world through signature tastings, intimate dinners with world-renowned chefs, late night parties, hands-on classes, educational seminars, wine tastings and more.

It takes more than 2,500 volunteers to make NYCWFF a success and we need your help! As a volunteer, you will have the opportunity to work alongside event management professionals, and food and wine industry leaders. Not only will you be a huge part of putting together New York City’s biggest wine and food festival, but you’ll also be joining us to to support New Yorkers in need!

As of August 2021, NYCWFF is requiring that all volunteers, event attendees and event staff be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, except for persons who are unable to get vaccinated because of a medical reason, who will be provided reasonable accommodation. NYCWFF will abide by all city and state guidelines as it relates to event-specific COVID safety protocols and procedures, and guidelines will be updated as the government guidelines evolve. Read the full NYCWFF COVID guidelines here.

• All volunteers must use the CLEAR Health Pass to complete the entry requirements by downloading the CLEAR App for free. Anyone presenting symptoms on arrival will be denied entry.

BECOME A SOCIAL MEDIA AMBASSADOR

Food Bank’s Social Media Ambassador Program is a way for volunteers to amplify resources for New Yorkers facing food insecurity, boost Food Bank’s mission on social media, and advocate by using their voices creatively and intentionally online – all while earning volunteer service hours.

Volunteers choose actions to complete (which range from sharing our Food Finder Map, to posting a selfie in orange for Hunger Awareness, to simply commenting on a Food Bank post), tag #FoodBankAmbassador, and document with screenshots to earn service hours for posting.

WRITE A LETTER OF HOPE

BE A VOLUNTEER TAX PREPARER

Food Bank’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program has put more than $1 billion back into the pockets of low-income New Yorkers, and we rely on over 300 dedicated volunteers each tax season to support this impactful anti-poverty work.

This Tax Season, Food Bank shifted from in-person appointments to an end-to-end virtual model, allowing both clients and volunteers to participate completely virtually while ensuring the process remains safe and secure.

JOIN A VIRTUAL SERVICE EVENT

Food Bank hosts largescale Virtual Service Hours on Zoom, bringing together volunteers from across the country to join in impactful virtual service activities. These events pair virtual service with educational panel conversations on food insecurity topics with guest speakers.

Recent virtual events have included our Virtual Day of Service for MLK Day with guest speaker Reverend Rasheed Baird, and People Get Periods: A Virtual Service Hour and Conversation on Period Poverty with US Congresswoman Grace Meng.

Stay tuned for upcoming virtual events!

CUSTOMIZE A VOLUNTEER PROGRAM

Organizations can partner with Food Bank to build a unique team volunteer experience. Food Bank has designed and delivered custom opportunities to groups in corporate offices, schools, community organizations, and many other locations. Through the pandemic, Food Bank has also developed engaging virtual events for groups to serve together from home. Programs are fully customizable to any group’s needs: large or small groups, family-friendly events, or corporate team-building retreats.

Customized projects include a sponsorship fee. To learn more, contact Jessica Presedo, Associate Director of Corporate Service & Engagement, at jpresedo@foodbanknyc.org. Interested organizations with limited budgets are encouraged to contact volunteer@foodbanknyc.org or check out public volunteer opportunities and events.

BUILD EMPATHY THROUGH A FACE HUNGER™ SIMULATION 

Gather a team of 10-25 people to share in the Virtual Face Hunger™ Simulation – a highly interactive experience which raises awareness and understanding of hunger and its many causes.

In this workshop, participants receive a profile packet with information about the identity, income, and available resources of a person at risk of hunger. Each participant embodies a person experiencing hunger through a series of exercises, facing the challenge to provide nutritious meals for their family. Face Hunger™ participants also debrief with a group discussion on their experience to walk away with a new understanding of hunger in New York City.

Each simulation for up to 25 participants asks for a sponsorship fee of $2,500.