Inside the Mission: Portraits of Promise

"Portraits of Promise" is a new initiative at Food Bank For New York City, and one powered by a simple premise: On special occasions throughout the year, Food Bank will provide professional portraits to our neighbors as a keepsake they can cherish for years and generations to come. Professional photography can be prohibitively expensive for many of the New Yorkers we serve, so this is a way for us to "go beyond food" in our service to the city we all call home. To learn more about the program, I sat down with Dr. Camesha Grant, Food Bank's Vice President of Community Impact & Investment, who came up with the idea for "Portraits of Promise" when ordering school portraits for her 11-year-old daughter. "It was the beginning of the school year and my daughter was taking photos," she explained. "I was completing the package to order the pictures and I saw that several of the different photo packages and products were well over $100. Suddenly it hit me — how do people who are food insecure get professional photos of themselves and their families? Between food and photos, many people will choose food, so they're not able to preserve these amazing memories of their loved ones. I immediately thought, we have to do something about this." Read the full interview with Dr. Grant below! Martha Mae, a regular of Food Bank's Senior Program who visited our Valentine's Day shoot. What is the power of a portrait? It's the power to preserve precious moments, to have a keepsake you can pass down to your children and your children's children. The cost of living in New York City forces many of the families we serve to move across the five boroughs to different homes, so having a steady family portrait to hang on any wall in any home is priceless. It's a constant reminder of who our neighbors are and where they come from, something that immediately represents home and love. It's a simple thing to carry with you across the journey of life. What would you say to someone if they ask why a hunger-relief organization like ours is providing this service? Everyone deserves the opportunity to preserve memories — everyone, regardless of their housing or financial status. They should have the opportunity to capture moments of love and fun through photography, to have those images to look back on when times get tough. At Food Bank, we endeavor to serve the whole individual, to nourish their bodies, their minds, and their spirits. With more and more New Yorkers being forced to the pantry line each day, we don’t always get the opportunity to know every person who visits our Community Kitchen, to hear their stories. But when people come in and get behind the camera for a “Portraits of Promise” session, we get to see our neighbors come to life. We get to know them, get to see them, get to reaffirm that we are here for them. These are everyday New Yorkers. In so many ways, this initiative is about breaking down the stigmas of who we serve. They’re people just like you and me with personalities, emotions, stories, and journeys to share. Gregory wearing his signature bow tie and suit at our Valentine's Day shoot. Are there any stories or moments from this project that stick out to you? There was one woman named Harlem at our Valentine’s Day shoot. She was standing on line waiting for supper when I approached her and asked if she'd like to take a photograph. She was so excited to join us! She came inside and suddenly transformed, taking the opportunity to look good and feel good. She got behind the camera and presented like a model, so gracious and fun to work with. And of course, Gregory, one of our regular senior visitors to the Community Kitchen & Food Pantry. Gregory has always been very dapper, loves coming in with a bowtie and suit. To learn that this was the first photograph he'd had taken of himself since 1972 was such a surprise and one that reminded me of how important this program is. How do you see this initiative growing? I think there are a ton of different ways "Portraits of Promise" could grow! This past August, we partnered with an organization that teaches children living in shelters how to swim. We provided packed lunches for the kids and also took portraits of them learning how to swim for their families. It was a way for us to take this program out of the studio and into the streets, allowing us to capture those precious milestone moments for the New Yorkers we proudly serve. To learn more about "Portraits of Promise," click this link, where you'll find stories from New Yorkers we've profiled and updates about when the next shoot will be happening!

Over the past few months, thousands of migrants have been bussed to New York City from the states of Texas and Arizona. Our friends at United Way of New York City estimate that nearly 19,000 migrants have arrived, 75 percent of whom have entered the city’s shelter system. These numbers are only expected to grow over the coming months, posing our city with the ultimate question: How do we rise up to serve and protect our new neighbors? For community members like Teresa Concepcion (founder of “The Red Door Place,” a Food Bank member pantry in Manhattan), the answer to that question has been developing itself in real time. “A month ago, I was put in contact with a shelter in Brooklyn that was drowning,” she recently told us. “They had begun to house 200 new arrivals, including 12 large families, many of whom had family members that were ill and needed assistance, including a set of twins on dialysis and chemo. In a matter of moments, we struck up an agreement and I began sending them what non-perishable food items and resources I had.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Red Door Place (@thereddoorplace) Teresa (above) was quick to point out that this is a Women and Children’s shelter, which means that fathers are not permitted to stay with their families. When asked where they would have to go instead, she explained that many would turn to the streets, in yet another form of separation for those that have already been through so much. How does she know this? Because word has spread fast that The Red Door Place is a safe space to receive food and these fathers have been visiting her weekly food distributions. “They are always very cautious when they first approach us,” she says. “They usually come in small groups and ask what kind of paperwork they need to visit the pantry. It takes a while to explain that they don’t need paperwork, that they can get the food they need for free without worry.” While Teresa is determined to continue supporting her newest clients, she admits that the strain on her resources is overwhelming. “Even before these new folks started visiting the pantry, our regular visitors had gone up from 400 to 650 a week. When you add in the migrant visitors, the numbers have nearly doubled in the span of a month and a half.” To fill in the gaps, she has leaned on a network of supporters and nurses in the neighborhood to provide her with the extra diapers, menstrual products, birth control, toiletries, and personal hygiene essentials these families need. But even with all this extra support, she knows it’s only a band-aid solution. “Now my mind goes to winter,” she explains. “How are we going to keep all of these people warm? I usually manage to give my regular clients a coat and gloves each year, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to do that for the growing number of migrants my program is supporting. I don’t want to turn anyone away, but don’t know what to do.” When asked about the new arrivals visiting her pantry, Teresa says they are just “shell-shocked.” “They are going day to day, that is the only way to describe how they’re making it through right now. They’re literally just thinking of the moment. They’re not even angry yet – they're scared and lost.” To make her point, Teresa shared an anecdote about a young migrant woman staying at the shelter. She had not been feeling well, but had been hesitant to talk to the shelter director. Eventually, it turned out that she was pregnant and worried that admitting that might cause her to lose her housing. As Teresa commented: “How bad does it have to be – how scared do you have to be – not to admit something like that?” View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Red Door Place (@thereddoorplace) Mayor Eric Adams himself announced earlier this month that we are in a state of emergency and must move quickly to support new arrivals to our city. It is vital that they are housed, that they are fed, that they are made to feel safe and welcome in their new home. We at Food Bank are proud to provide food and other resources to community members like Teresa who are on the ground fighting to do just that. Times of crisis test us all, and it’s everyday folks like Teresa and her team at The Red Door Place that remind us of how powerful we can be when we rise up together. For more on how YOU can uplift our city’s newest neighbors, click this link. Your generosity will help us provide crucial food items to the New Yorkers that need it most.

Hispanic Heritage Month provides us with an opportunity to celebrate the leaders who fight for the dignity, empowerment, and survival of our Latinx neighbors, both here in New York City and across the nation. While this list is by no means exhaustive, it does feature several individuals (both past and present) who have helped to combat food insecurity in Latinx communities and uplift the workers who have long provided food for all of us. Take a peek at the full list below! Mateo Guerrero-Tabares Mateo, standing outside Make the Road New York in Queens. Source: Feeding America. Mateo Guerrero-Tabares is the Trans Justice and Leadership Program Manager at Make the Road New York, a Food Bank member agency that serves immigrant, working-class, and transgender communities throughout Brooklyn and Queens. Mateo found his way to Make the Road in 2010 after arriving in New York City as an undocumented minor. He began his journey as both a client and volunteer, receiving aid from the organization to adjust his immigration status and stay permanently in the United States. He now brings that same level of solidarity and support to the immigrant and transgender New Yorkers he proudly serves. Read our recent interview with Mateo! Dolores Huerta Dolores Huerta speaking at a campaign rally for President Bill Clinton. Source: Wikimedia. A famed organizer and activist, Dolores Huerta has long been a champion for the working poor, women, and children. Though she rose to prominence when establishing the National Farm Workers Association with Cesar Chavez, she forged a unique path all her own that focused on helping migrant populations secure the resources they needed to thrive. Still a major labor leader to this day, Huerta travels the country as a speaker and campaigner, drawing on her decades of experience in the public sphere to fight against injustice. José Andrés View this post on Instagram A post shared by José Andrés (@chefjoseandres) José Andrés is a Spanish chef and founder of World Central Kitchen, an organization that provides emergency food relief to communities around the globe. Most recently, Andrés made headlines for taking to the ground to serve refugees escaping conflict from Ukraine. Andrés also provided meals and other resources to us here at Food Bank For New York City at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to help us feed and nourish our neighbors across the five boroughs. Emma Tenayuca Source: Wikipedia. Born in San Antonio, TX in 1916, Emma Tenayuca was a Mexican American writer, speaker, educator, and organizer who fought for workers’ rights. Though she accomplished many things in her lifetime, she is perhaps best known for helping to orchestrate and lead a massive strike of over 12,000 pecan shell workers in her native San Antonio at the age of just 21. The strike forced owners to increase wages for the pecan shell workers, many of whom were immigrant women. The victory marked a significant step forward for the Mexican American struggle for justice and equality in the United States. Cesar Chavez Cesar Chavez addressing a crowd. Source: Wikimedia. Cesar Chavez was instrumental in securing union rights for migrant farm workers in the 1960s. As a farmer himself, Chavez decided to partner with Dolores Huerta to create the National Farm Workers Association (later known as the United Farm Workers of America) to advocate for the improvement of wages and conditions for those working the land. Chavez utilized a range of non-violent tactics – from marching to fasting, organizing, and collective bargaining – to draw attention to the struggles of migrant farm workers and solidify protections that continue to uplift and support laborers to this day. Pedro Rodriguez As the economic fallout from COVID-19 drove more and more New Yorkers to the pantry line, Pedro Rodriguez took it upon himself to establish La Jornada, a food pantry formerly located in Queens. Serving thousands of individuals and families a week, the pantry became a lifeline for immigrant communities in need of reliable and consistent access to produce and shelf-stable goods. La Jornada eventually joined the Food Bank member network, receiving grants from us to optimize their operations. Jessica Govea Thorbourne Source: Cornell University. Jessica Govea Thorbourne was a labor organizer and educator who worked closely with Cesar Chavez at the United Farm Workers Union. She was one of the first activists to publicly call attention to the dangers of pesticides to both workers and food, helping to limit exposure and establish better safety practices in the field. Later in her life, Thorbourne served as a professor at Cornell and Rutgers, where she taught courses on labor organizing. For more on how we serve our Latinx neighbors now and throughout the year, click here.