Food Bank NYC: Fighting Holiday Hunger for 1.3 Million New Yorkers

Food Bank member agency Iglesia Cristiana Valle De Jesus Food Pantry serves our neighbors in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. To fuel the pantry’s work, Food Bank regularly provides fresh produce and shelf-stable goods to the organization, which are distributed weekly to more than 600 New Yorkers. The impressive operation at Iglesia Cristiana Valle De Jesus is run by a large and enthusiastic team, who make it a priority to always serve their neighbors with dignity and care. One way they do this is by providing an indoor space for community members to congregate while waiting to receive food and other services. When visiting a food pantry in New York City, you’ll likely notice long lines that wrap around the block regardless of the weather. This is a common sight for many of the hunger-relief organizations within our Food Bank member network, and it makes sense – these organizations are operating at full capacity and simply don’t have the space to welcome all their neighbors inside. But this can pose problems, with some programs facing resistance from nearby homes and businesses. To mitigate this, Iglesia Cristiana Valle De Jesus invites community members inside to escape harsh weather, use the restroom, and connect with the tireless staff. Clients often wait on long lines and often, outdoors. And this is all the more incredible because Iglesia Cristiana Valle De Jesus is completely powered by volunteers, who work long hours multiple days a week receiving deliveries, preparing storage, and running the pantry distribution on Thursdays. With no paid staff, the Iglesia Cristiana Valle De Jesus Food Pantry is a true community resource with neighbors helping neighbors each and every day. Volunteers are served dinner at Iglesia Cristiana Valle De Jesus Food Pantry. Food Bank proudly provides food, resources, and regular capacity support to over 800 community-based organizations like the Iglesia Cristiana Valle De Jesus Food Pantry. The Food Bank Member Network stretches across all five boroughs and to nearly every zip code in New York City. Visit foodbanknyc.org to learn more about our mission to empower every New Yorker to achieve food security for good.

When Food Bank Junior Board member Julia Lichtenstein was planning her baby shower, she knew she wanted to give back to her community. So instead of having her guests bring gifts, she asked them to donate diapers to Food Bank For New York City instead. And the response was overwhelming – Julia's friends and family donated over 1,500 diapers, which she then dropped off at our Community Kitchen & Food Pantry in Harlem! To learn more about how Julia turned her private celebration into a celebration of giving back to families in our community, read our recent interview with her below! Julia and her newborn. How long have you been involved with Food Bank and what inspires you to stay connected to our mission? I've been supporting Food Bank since my now husband did a fundraiser for his birthday many years ago. As I learned more about Food Bank over the years, I knew I wanted to become more actively involved, and I joined the Junior Board in 2023. I'm consistently amazed by the work Food Bank does to connect New Yorkers in need not only with necessary nutritious food but also critical services like tax preparation to get much needed refunds. Where did the idea for a diaper collection come from? Through my work on the Junior Board, I learned about the Woman to Woman campaign which, conveniently, was active during the same month I planned to hold my baby shower. I wanted to amplify the campaign's goal of connecting women with baby supplies, the cost of which can often be a strain on many households. Were any of your guests surprised to learn that Food Bank provides New Yorkers with resources like diapers? Many of my guests did not realize that Food Bank accepts donations of hygiene products like diapers. I was excited to spread the word that Food Bank is not just about food! There are so many ways that the Food Bank works to empower every New Yorker to achieve food security for good. Do you have any tips for New Yorkers looking to engage their communities in acts of giving like this? One of the best parts of working with Food Bank is how simple it can be to make an impact on the community. The guests at my baby shower collectively amassed 1,500 diapers and it was easy to do! Many of the products that Food Bank needs--like pantry staples or personal care products--only require a quick trip to the grocery or drug store. I took the donations uptown to Food Bank the next day and the diapers were distributed to clients right away. My diaper drive is just one example of the many easy ways New Yorkers can gather their communities to collect easy-to-find items and get them into hands that need them. What are some memorable moments you've had while serving with Food Bank? One of my most memorable experiences was spending the day with Leslie Gordon, Food Bank’s President and CEO, and other Food Bank volunteers hearing from Leslie about her many years of work as a food banker and seeing firsthand the operations that keep Food Bank running. It was on that tour that Leslie mentioned that diapers could be among the most expensive personal care items that a household needs and can be a significant financial strain for parents with little ones at home. I did not have children at the time, but her remark stuck with me as I started to grow my family and I knew I wanted to help lighten that burden in whatever small way I could. And finally, what excites you most about motherhood? Think we might get to meet the little one at a distribution someday? The most exciting thing about motherhood is watching your child start to see the world around them. Children bring a fresh sense of wonder and joy that those of us who have been here a bit longer sometimes lose sight of. I can't wait to bring my daughter to a Food Bank volunteer event when she is old enough! I hope to teach her from a young age the importance of being involved in the community around you and lending a hand in whatever way you can. 1,500 Diapers were donated to Food Bank from Julia's Baby Shower. We are so grateful for Julia’s generosity and her contribution to families in New York City. Interested in getting involved? Food Bank can help you make an impact on your special day. Click here to launch your own fundraiser for Food Bank!

Food Bank For New York City provides food and other resources to a network of over 800 food pantries, campus pantries, soup kitchens, and healthcare partners across the five boroughs. To facilitate learning, dialogue, problem-solving, and creative brainstorming within our network, we regularly host “Borough Chats,” which bring together Food Bank Members of the same borough to talk about issues impacting their communities. Follow us to Woodside, Queens, to the picturesque church, La Jornada, a long-standing Food Bank member, where our recent borough chat took place. The event brought together 26 staff and volunteers from over 20 food pantries and soup kitchen programs, providing a valuable platform to network, learn, and connect on shared experiences. The beautiful La Jornda in Queens. Our Borough Chats exemplify Food Bank's commitment to empowering our member agencies by facilitating meaningful dialogue and collaboration. By bringing together key stakeholders to discuss critical issues, we aim to inspire action and improve client experiences to empower New Yorkers achieve food security for good. The Queens Borough Chat kicked off with an insightful panel discussion featuring Swami Das from The River Fund New York, Virginia Tucker from One Way Church of Christ Food Pantry, and Food Bank staff member Samantha Burgos. The panelists shared their expertise on topics such as improving neighborhood interactions during distributions, the importance of being a client choice program, and best practices for utilizing volunteers. To address a critical issue for our Queens members, how to best serve New York's newly arrived neighbors seeking asylum, Molly Schaeffer from the NYC Mayor's Office of Asylum Seeker Operations provided an overview of the city's latest support initiatives. Food Bank staff member Maria Meyer then offered important health strategies Queens members could infuse into their programming. The event concluded with insights from Andre Mack of Bank of America, who shared his expertise on achieving outstanding client engagement. Borough-by-borough, Food Bank is helping our members to empower every New Yorker to achieve food security for good. Queens Food Bank members gathered at La Jornda to collaborate. We want to extend a special thank you to our host, La Jornada, for generously hosting the event and to our participants for making this special day possible. Spotlight on La Jornada La Jornada is a shining example of the incredible work our member agencies do every day. Serving approximately 25,000 people each month in some of the most ethnically diverse neighborhoods in New York City – Woodside, Jackson Heights, and Elmhurst – La Jornada operates a robust food pantry and mobile pantry program. But its support doesn't stop there. La Jornada also offers migration assistance, health services, and educational programs covering ESL, literacy, nutrition, and personal finance, demonstrating a holistic approach to empowering its community. Visit foodbanknyc.org to learn more about our mission to empower every New Yorker to achieve food security for good.