Elevating Voices at D.C. Power Summit

At Food Bank, we are proud to be a grant recipient of the Grubhub Community Fund, which provides resources to organizations like ours to empower and support our neighbors. This Hunger Action Month, Grubhub has taken its partnership a step further by sponsoring our “Together We Rise” series, which features stories of resilience and strength from the folks who power our mission every day. Ray Lu is a member of Food Bank's Junior Board, where he works with his fellow community members to support and raise awareness about Food Bank's mission to fight hunger for ALL New Yorkers. Read on to learn a little bit more about Ray and how he found his place in New York City through volunteering with a food pantry in his neighborhood. Where in NYC do you live? What’s something special about your neighborhood that people may not know? I lived in Chelsea for several years before moving up to Morningside Heights. On weekends, the street outside of Hungarian Pastry Shop on 111th Street and Amsterdam is closed to traffic and open for community events! What does community mean to you? A community is a group of people who support each other. I often tell people that I struggled when I first moved to New York City - in part because I didn't find my communities. Over time, I connected with people who cared about the same things that I did, which made a world of difference. What keeps you motivated when times get tough? I turn to my friends and family for support. I recognize that I'm lucky to have those people in my life, and part of my daily goal is to share their capacity for care with others around me. Living life for others, with others, is in a way the essence of empathy and compassion. What keeps you connected to Food Bank’s mission to feed and nourish ALL New Yorkers? I've been volunteering at a Food Bank-affiliated pantry for over two years, and the fellow volunteers have become some of my closest friends. Though the food bank is located in my old neighborhood in Chelsea, I still find time on Saturday mornings to give back to and connect with the community. In addition, the Junior Board at Food Bank is comprised of an incredible group of people who inspire me to be better every day. What do you rise for? I rise for economic justice and empowerment. Food Bank For New York City’s “Together We Rise” series is presented by Grubhub, our Hunger Action Month partner whose immense generosity is enabling us to continue the work of feeding and nourishing ALL New Yorkers in these challenging times.

This August, we here at Food Bank For New York City are partnering with our friends at HungerMitao to raise money in support of our mission to fight hunger across the five boroughs. To learn more about HungerMitao Month (and how YOU can get involved with this important work) keep on reading below! What is HungerMitao? HungerMitao is a volunteer-driven, grassroots movement focused on raising awareness about hunger in the United States, particularly as it affects members of the Indian American community. For founders Raj G. & Aradhana (Anna) Asava, the movement is as much about eradicating food insecurity as it is about unifying Indian Americans in the fight against hunger. Since its launch three years ago, HungerMitao (which translates to “wipe out hunger”) has raised over 35 million meals for low-income families through the Feeding America network of food banks, including clients we serve right here in NYC. To learn more about how Raj and Anna came up with the idea to start HungerMitao, check out our video interview with them below! Why August? HungerMitao Month is held every August in celebration of India’s Independence (with the official day of Independence falling on August 15). Since the goal of the movement is to engage and unite Indian Americans in the fight against hunger, founders Raj & Anna Asava have found it to be the perfect time to galvanize and activate for change. But this year, the timing of HungerMitao Month has taken on an even deeper and more earnestly felt meaning. The truth is that many Americans are still reeling from the economic fallout of COVID-19. In New York City alone, food insecurity has increased by more than 44 percent due to the pandemic, which means that nearly 1.6 million New Yorkers are currently facing hunger. To help, Raj & Anna are offering a $10,000 challenge match throughout August 31, which means that your participation in the campaign can go twice as far in helping to nourish our neighbors in need. How can you get Involved? Thankfully, it’s easy to get involved in HungerMitao Month. You can either donate directly to our campaign, host an online fundraiser for your community, or help us raise awareness about issues of food insecurity and poverty in New York City. To learn more, click this link.

September is Hunger Action Month, a time for all of us to stand up and fight back against food insecurity in the United States. First established by Feeding America in 2008, this month is focused not only on raising awareness about the persistent and growing hunger crisis in our country, but on mobilizing that awareness into action. To learn more about the significance of Hunger Action Month to the work we do here at Food Bank, I spoke with Food Bank For New York City President & CEO Leslie Gordon. She shared invaluable insights into the importance of the month and offered advice for how to stay engaged in the fight against hunger all year long. Take a peek at our conversation below! Why is Hunger Action Month such a great time to get involved with the work we do here at Food Bank? Hunger Action Month is all about raising awareness about food insecurity in the United States, so it’s a great time to engage with organizations like ours that make it our mission to fight hunger all year long. At Food Bank, we provide a ton of different ways to get involved throughout the month, from volunteer opportunities on the ground to options for giving directly to the programs that nourish our neighbors all across the city. Click here to check out some of these easy actions! It’s often said that food alone can’t end hunger. How does Food Bank address the different issues that can impact someone’s ability to access healthy food? At Food Bank, we take the long approach to fighting hunger. That’s why we not only provide reliable access to food today through our member network of over 800 soup kitchens and food pantries across the five boroughs, but also equip our clients with the tools they need to achieve stability into tomorrow and beyond. By pairing food assistance with things like free tax filing prep and financial empowerment workshops, we’re able to address both the surface issue of hunger and its root. What does Food Bank’s Hunger Action Month theme “One Mission. Five Boroughs. Feed All” mean to you? How do we make sure we’re serving as many New Yorkers as we can? For me, this slogan means that we won’t rest until food insecurity is wiped out from every corner of our city. That’s why we partner with and power over 800 community-based organizations across the five boroughs that are able to meet the unique hunger needs of their neighbors. Our Mobile Pantry Program also allows us to take food and other resources directly into the communities that need us most. What’s the impact that a gift or donation can make on our work? Our work wouldn’t be possible without our amazing community of supporters. Their generosity is what enables us to reach the 1.6 million New Yorkers currently facing food insecurity. Each gift allows us to get more food to more people and innovate new ways to nourish, dignify, and empower our neighbors. If it takes a village to fight hunger, our supporters are that village, inspiring us to do more every day. Donate here. How can people continue to fight food insecurity beyond Hunger Action Month? I think the biggest thing to remember is that we’re all one meal, one paycheck, one moment away from experiencing hunger ourselves. Food insecurity isn’t an abstract concept – it exists everywhere, and could very well affect you or someone you love. That’s why the fight is so vital and why it must be fought all year long. So, give generously to hunger relief organizations that inspire you. Offer your time and services to a local food pantry. Follow organizations like ours on social media and share the content we create. If we all engaged with this issue beyond Hunger Action Month, just imagine the things we could do. To find your place in our mission this Hunger Action Month, click here.