Food Bank Member Delivers 2 Million Diapers to NYC Families

In honor of Harlem Week, Food Bank hosted a special BBQ for our neighbors outside of our Community Kitchen & Food Pantry in West Harlem. The sunny day was full of music, good food, face painting, raffles, and more! Food Bank's Culinary Manager Chef Sheri whipped up a feast of BBQ favorites. "This is something that's been coming together little by little over the years," explained Sultana Ocasio, the Director of Food Bank's Community Kitchen & Food Pantry. "We wanted to do something around Harlem Week to highlight our presence in the neighborhood and celebrate the fact that we've been serving our neighbors here since the 1980s." "And so we thought, 'Hey, let's have a family BBQ!'" she continued. "The smell of the grill, the music pumping from the speakers... we wanted to draw people in and create a space where we could all hang out and be together." Sultana Ocasio working the food line alongside Food Bank President & CEO Leslie Gordon. It didn't take long for community members to find our BBQ. Tunes from DJ Jay Thursday and the smoky fragrance of Food Bank Culinary Manager Chef Sheri's roast chicken, grilled corn, hamburgers, hot dogs, and more drew in a vibrant crowd of folks from all over the neighborhood, who not only got to enjoy a delicious free lunch, but face painting activities, a fresh produce stand, and hourly raffles. "It's great that we could all be here to enjoy this beautiful summer day together," said community member Lorna, who lives two blocks down from Food Bank's Community Kitchen & Food Pantry. "When times are tough, it's important for us to lean on one another and help out when we can." Lorna stopped by the BBQ on her way home from church in the neighborhood. The BBQ was supported by Food Bank staff and volunteers, many of whom came out to spread a little love as food, gas, and rent prices are driving more and more New Yorkers to the pantry line. Ell, a local eighth grader volunteering with their mom, handed out fresh vegetables to folks throughout the day. "I just love helping other people," said Ell. "It's great that we can be here today to not only give out free produce, but to bring a little joy and happiness to our neighbors. It feels great to be here with everyone today." Ell in action staffing our fresh produce stand with other Food Bank volunteers. To learn more about Food Bank's efforts to support our local community here in West Harlem, visit foodbanknyc.org. You can also sign up for a volunteer shift in our Community Kitchen & Food Pantry by clicking this link. Scroll below for more photos from our Community BBQ! Our volunteer face painter kept busy with all the youngsters visiting her table! Melanie Zuniga (Food Bank's Community Dietician) handed out tasty smoothies and helpful nutrition information at our produce stand. "Today, I just want to play music that makes people feel good and dance," explained DJ Jay Thursday. Community members (and their furry friends!) filled the block throughout the afternoon.

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!

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.