Inside Food Bank's Community BBQ in Harlem

April is Global Volunteer Month, a time for us to celebrate the Food Bank volunteers who devote their time and energy to our mission of empowering every New Yorker to achieve food security for good. Each volunteer has played an indispensable role in serving our neighbors and building a stronger, healthier community for all of us. Our Food Bank volunteers are amazing! Click here to join our volunteer community. A member of our Food Bank Junior Board greets a client at our Community Kitchen & Food Pantry in Harlem. Reflecting on a Year of Volunteerism Over the past year, our volunteers have embarked on inspiring journeys, fearlessly taking on the challenges our community faces. The impact of their commitment can be felt across every borough of our amazing city. A Food Bank volunteer greets New Yorkers at a Mobile Pantry distribution. Whether it was packing boxes of nutritious meals for seniors at our Warehouse, distributing groceries to Harlemites from our Community Kitchen & Food Pantry, or packing personal hygiene kits at home, our volunteers have made a difference in the lives of food insecure New Yorkers. Because of their dedication, families have found hope in times of hardship, and individuals have felt the warmth of a caring community around them. Food Bank volunteers packing food at our Warehouse & Distribution Center in the Bronx. We’re excited to share the extraordinary milestones we have hit together: Since February 2023, 7,662 volunteers have served 23,502 hours, translating to $742,663 in value to Food Bank's mission. On March 25, we re-engaged volunteers in our Senior Lunch Service and Community Meal programs for the first time since March 2020. From Food Bank’s Community Pantry, volunteers helped serve 38,957 households. Volunteers at Food Bank’s Warehouse & Distribution Center packed 953,056 pounds of food, converting to 779,595 meals. Additionally, Food Bank’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) volunteers have processed more than 3,000 tax returns, helping to put over $5,720,000 in tax refunds back into the pockets of New Yorkers already this year. Food Bank volunteers celebrate the end of a packing shift at our Warehouse & Distribution Center in the Bronx. The Power of Volunteering and Encouragement for the Future Volunteering is the heart of our organization, and its power to bring about transformative change is undeniable. We invite each member of our Food Bank community to consider the profound impact they can make by joining us on this incredible journey. If you're ready to join us in empowering our neighbors to achieve food security for good, click here. There, you’ll learn more about our various volunteering opportunities and how YOU can become part of our volunteer family. A smiling volunteer at our Warehouse & Distribution Center in the Bronx. Thank you to all of our volunteers for your service, determination, and compassion. Together, we are transforming lives and making progress on a more hopeful, dignified, and equitable future for ALL New Yorkers. We are so thankful to volunteers who help power our mission every day. Click here to join us on the ground as a Food Bank volunteer!

On May 10, Food Bank For New York City took over the Plaza Hotel to host our inaugural Gotham Ball. More than just a party, this event was a celebration of New York City and its Food Bank, featuring delectable bites from some of the city's most notable chefs. The star-studded crowd not only enjoyed cocktails and hors d'oeuvres in the Plaza's iconic Palm Court and Terrace Room, but also got the chance to bid on exclusive auction items, learn about our work, and, of course, dance the night away. Photo courtesy of Phillip Van Nostrand. As guests arrived, they walked through a rose-gilded turnstile into a special F-train subway car designed to transport them into the heart of the Gotham Ball. Photo courtesy of Phillip Van Nostrand. On the other side, they discovered live music, signature cocktails, and innovative spins on some of the city's most classic dishes (from deli-style reuben sandwiches to black & white macaroons and street dogs garnished with caviar). Photos courtesy of Phillip Van Nostrand. After sampling bites from our amazing team of chefs and mixologists, guests gathered to hear remarks from WABC-TV Eyewitness News Anchor Sade Baderinwa and Emmy Award-nominated comedian and actor Tracy Morgan. Both touched on their personal connections to our work, encouraging the audience to join them in the fight to feed and nourish all New Yorkers. Longtime Food Bank friend Tracy Morgan. Photo courtesy of Phillip Van Nostrand. Food Bank President & CEO Leslie Gordon then took the stage, thanking our guests for coming and speaking to the power of their generosity. As I stand here looking out over this crowd of Food Bank supporters, colleagues, partners, and friends, I feel overwhelmed with gratitude. When I stepped into the role of President & CEO of Food Bank For New York City in March 2020, I could have never guessed that one day we would get to share in a night like this. In many ways, as I look out into this beautiful crowd, I see my own journey at Food Bank reflected back to me in the faces of those who empowered, uplifted, and even challenged me as we worked to feed a city in crisis. Thank you for powering our mission to serve the greatest city in the world. Food Bank President & CEO Leslie Gordon. Photo courtesy of Phillip Van Nostrand. Fired up and ready to go, the crowd dove into our live auction, bidding on a range of items from a private dinner at NYC hot spot Ci Siamo to an exclusive box suite viewing experience at a summertime Yankees game. Food Bank Board Chair Seraina Macia. Photo courtesy of Phillip Van Nostrand. Once the auction was done, it was time to grab the bubbly and dance. As members of our extended Food Bank family moved throughout the space, we couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with gratitude for their tireless support of our mission. At the Gotham Ball alone, we were able to raise enough funds to provide nearly 5 million meals for our neighbors in need! Truly, a night we won't soon forget. Want to join us at our next event? Click here to see all of our upcoming opportunities. A special thanks to all of our Gotham Ball culinary partners, including the teams from Atoboy, Atomix, Naro; Sylvia's; Nom Wah; Little Owl; Maison Premiere; Gage & Tollner; Smith & Wollensky; Dante; S&P; Rafs; Crif Dogs & PDT; Maialino; and PopUp Bagels.

In this post, we’re going to cover all the things you can and can’t donate to the network of food pantries and soup kitchens that power our work at the Food Bank For New York City. While our donation dos and don’ts may differ from other hunger relief organizations, they should still provide you with a better understanding of what kinds of resources organizations like ours are generally looking for. But before we get into our full donation chart, we want to cover a few tips and tricks for optimizing your next donation. Consider Refrigeration While several organizations in our member network may be able to refrigerate things like produce, dairy, and meat, not all food pantries and soup kitchens have this same capacity, so always make sure to double check before you donate. If it’s unclear, stick with shelf-stable goods like canned food, flour, cooking oil, or rice. Skip the Expired Goods Yes, “best of” or “expiration” dates aren’t always accurate, but that doesn’t mean you should donate expired goods to hunger relief organizations. When thinking about what to give, consider whether or not you’d be comfortable serving the item to your family. If you wouldn’t eat something past its “sell-by” date, chances are you shouldn’t donate it. No Leftovers Please You might be the best chef in the entire world, but unfortunately, we can’t accept your home-cooked meals or food items. Without knowing how the items were prepared, we’re unable to control for things like allergies and dietary restrictions. The same thing is true for any baked goods or meals you might buy from a local grocer. Don’t Break the Seal Food pantries and soup kitchens in our member network are only able to accept unopened or unused food items. This means that you can’t donate a half-used box of spaghetti or bring us a Ziploc bag of items your family no longer needs. We appreciate the spirit of this gift, but want our clients to have the same experience that any of us have when shopping for and selecting the new food items they want to eat. Prioritize Nutrition To bring a little more care to your donation, think about the nutritional value of what you’re giving. When donating canned vegetables, for example, consider giving low-sodium veggies. And if you’re thinking about donating grains or pasta, we say prioritize things like brown rice and whole grain noodles. We want to serve our clients quality ingredients that not only taste good, but do good things for the body. Now that you’ve read through these tips, take a peek at our official donation chart below. We’ve organized items into things we’d like to “prioritize” and ones we’d like to “reduce.” To learn more about our approach to community nutrition, click this link.