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What to Donate to a Food Bank... and What to Avoid

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...

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Food Insecurity |

What to Donate to a Food Bank... and What to Avoid

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...

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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.
Food Insecurity |

Wiping out Hunger with HungerMitao

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...

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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.
Fundraising |

You are the Village. Thank you.

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Volunteer |

Volunteer Profile: Christopher Larson

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Volunteer Profile: Christopher Larson Christopher Larson has elevated Food Bank's mission across our virtual programs – including writing letters of hope to our clients through our Dear New York Program and amplifying food resources online as a Food Bank Social Media Ambassador. Why is Food Bank’s mission important to you? "Food Bank's mission to end food insecurity in NYC is important to me because, as a registered nurse, I've witnessed the negative health effects that occur due to not having dependable access to nutritious food. The number of people who face food insecurity is alarming, as no one should go hungry." What was your most memorable moment while serving with Food Bank? "I loved personally dropping off letters at Food Bank's Community Kitchen & Pantry in Harlem and seeing people engage with my posts as a Social Media Ambassador. Knowing that one of the letters I wrote might cheer someone up, or one of my posts might connect someone in need to the right resources, makes me happy!" Tell us about a meal that is special to you and your family. "Paella is very special to me and my family. It is the most popular dish in Spain and the ingredients can easily be modified for endless variety! Mi mamá taught me to cook authentic paella and we make it together every time I visit my family in Spain." Who inspires you to serve? "The LGBTQ+ community inspires me to serve – help is always given and equality and inclusion are shown to everyone regardless of background, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Reducing hunger for LGBTQ+ and all New Yorkers is reason enough to serve my community!"
Food Insecurity |

Serving Without Shame: Food Insecurity in the LGBTQ+ Community

This Pride month, we here at Food Bank For New York City are turning a critical eye to the pervasive issues of poverty and food insecurity in the LGBTQ+ community....

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This Pride month, we here at Food Bank For New York City are turning a critical eye to the pervasive issues of poverty and food insecurity in the LGBTQ+ community. Though Pride is certainly a time for celebration, it’s also a time for acknowledging the work still needed to be done to achieve true equity for the LGBTQ+ community. Part of that work necessitates addressing the immense hunger needs of LGBTQ+ individuals. According to a 2020 report from the Williams Institute, 27% of LGBTQ+ folks across the United States are currently facing food insecurity. Even before the pandemic, one in five LGBTQ+ individuals were already living in poverty, a rate 76% higher than the national average. It’s no wonder then that LGBTQ+ people also participate in social safety net programs like SNAP (formerly food stamps) at much higher rates than their straight counterparts. Though many states (including New York) have implemented widespread non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ folks, the reality is that many non-straight people still experience rampant discrimination in the realms of housing, employment, education, and healthcare. Therefore, when we talk about food insecurity in the LGBTQ+ community, we must recognize how it intersects with other challenges that make it difficult for non-straight people to secure the resources they need to survive. We must also acknowledge that hunger and poverty disproportionately impact those most marginalized within the LGBTQ+ community itself, namely trans people, non-binary individuals, seniors, people of color, and those living with HIV. Even in communities with strong non-discrimination protections, these vulnerable groups still face higher rates of poverty than the general public, due in large part to certain stigmas they may face in society. SAGE (an NYC-based organization dedicated to serving the needs of older LGBTQ+ adults and a Food Bank member agency) recently released a study that illuminated these disparities, finding that one-third of LGBTQ+ seniors in New York City are living at or below 200% of the federal poverty line. The report also found that 52% of respondents were being forced to deny or hide their identities from their healthcare providers and that 67% of LGBTQ+ seniors in New York City feared neglect from long-term care specialists. To support our LGBTQ+ elders, we partner with SAGE to provide food for its meal program. In addition to our work with SAGE, we’re proud to partner with a wide range of other community-based organizations that tailor their programming to serve the unique needs of LGBTQ+ New Yorkers. One of these groups is GMHC, an organization founded in the early 1980s to uplift New Yorkers living with HIV. In addition to offering mental health services, housing assistance, and immigration support to its clients, GMHC has also long provided a safe space for folks living with HIV to gather and share food. As GMHC’s Director of Nutrition & Meals Josie Thiele explained to me, the GMHC Meals Program was a vital lifeline for New Yorkers living with HIV in the 1980s and 90s. At that time, folks who showed visible signs of the virus were often barred from eating in public spaces, so GMHC became one of the few spots where they could safely come together. The program provided nutritious free food, yes, but it also provided a place in which those living with HIV could simply exist without shame, stigma, or judgment. And though the Meals Program has evolved over time, Thiele says this shame-free approach to service is what has allowed the organization to better support and understand its diverse array of clients, many of whom identify along the LGBTQ+ spectrum. “When folks can feel comfortable expressing who they are, it makes it easier for them to access the services they need,” Thiele said. “Our clients know that when they walk through our doors, there’s no judgment. We work to make it a safe space for everyone. As staff, we always introduce ourselves with our pronouns so folks know they can express that as well. In general, we want to make people feel comfortable in a way that in many other places they might feel afraid or stigmatized.” By breaking through these stigmas, GMHC is able to establish trust with its clients, which allows it to engage folks with a wide range of services to meet their unique and varied needs. As Thiele told me, GMHC endeavors to serve its clients holistically by recognizing that food insecurity is hardly ever just about food. “For most of our clients, there’s a variety of things that are going to lead to food insecurity,” Thiele said. “So, we have food services, including our congregant meals, food pantry, and nutrition counseling with registered dieticians, but we also offer course development programs for clients looking to write a resume or learn new computer skills. We also have legal services to help folks navigate immigration and housing laws as well as mental health and substance abuse services.” “By focusing on all of these different things, we can help our clients achieve their goals and feel fully supported,” she continued. “Giving people food is great, but helping them to find stable housing or a stable job helps to minimize the food insecurity in general.” At the end of the day, the LGBTQ+ community is no monolith, and fighting back against hunger and poverty within it requires a nuanced, specific, and dynamic approach. It requires acknowledging that many people’s queer identities intersect with other identities that may further complicate their lived experiences, which means that a cisgender white gay man, for example, will likely have very different needs than those of an immigrant trans woman of color. Responding to these needs requires listening. It requires persistence. And it requires serving others without shaming them for being who they are. As Tyrone Hanley of the National Center for Lesbian Rights said in an interview with the Food Research & Action Center last year: “When people are already dealing with the vulnerability of being poor, and then on top of that adding worries about being discriminated against based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, that can prevent people from receiving the services they desperately need.” To learn more about how Food Bank serves the LGBTQ+ community all year long, click this link.
Volunteer |

Volunteer Profile: Jessica Acero

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Volunteer Profile: Jessica Acero Jessica Acero served as a VITA volunteer this year, inspired to get involved after her family was able to access free tax assistance through Food Bank's program. Why is Food Bank’s mission important to you? "I am inspired by the multiple ways Food Bank gives back to the community, including everything from food pantries to tax assistance." What was your most memorable moment while serving with Food Bank? "The most memorable moment while serving with Food Bank was getting to share how Food Bank's VITA Program helped my mom and me with our family's taxes. When my mom and I filed our taxes with Food Bank, the process was very easy, and we were even paired with a bilingual volunteer to help my mom out. That experience as a tax client inspired me to get involved as a volunteer and made me realize how much volunteering at Food Bank can help families like mine." Tell us about a meal that is special to you and your family. "Thanksgiving dinner is special to my family and me because it brings everyone together, family and friends. Everyone brings their food to share, and sharing food brings us closer together." Who inspires you to serve? "My mom inspires me to serve, along with everyone in my local community."
Volunteer |

Volunteer Profile: Simone Jones

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Volunteer Profile: Simone Jones Simone Jones serves at Food Bank's Community Kitchen & Pantry in Harlem as part of the Serve The Moment Service Corps in partnership with Repair the World. Why is Food Bank’s mission important to you? "As a native New Yorker, I grew up seeing the tragic impacts of food insecurity in our city. Food Bank’s mission is important to me because food insecurity is unjust, and all New Yorkers deserve consistent access to nutritious food." What was your most memorable moment while serving with Food Bank? "On my first day of volunteering, Food Bank's pantry team was so welcoming. They taught me exactly what goes into each pantry bag and why. I felt like a part of the team from Day One!" Tell us about a meal that is special to you and your family. "Mac and Cheese is a special dish for me and my family. We make it from scratch using my grandmother's recipe!" Who inspires you to serve? "Volunteering has always been a huge part of my life. After my experience as a Peace Corps volunteer in West Africa, I promised myself that I would continue to serve my community at home. The communities that I've created both abroad and at home in NYC inspire me to serve."
Food Insecurity |

Food Insecurity in the AAPI Community

This Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we want to highlight the realities of food insecurity in the AAPI community. Though pop culture may have us...

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This Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we want to highlight the realities of food insecurity in the AAPI community. Though pop culture may have us believe that all Asian people are highly educated, wealthy, and high-achieving, the truth is that hunger and poverty don’t discriminate, and do in fact affect Pacific Islander and Asian communities all across the United States, including the ones we serve here in New York. According to the latest census estimates from 2019, there are over 1 million people who identify as either “Asian” or “Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander” in New York City. This accounts for approximately 14 percent of the city’s total population, signaling an immense and significant presence across the five boroughs. However, this presence isn’t monolithic, and is made up of dozens of different ethnic groups who may or may not have that much in common aside from checking “Asian” on the census. So, understanding what hunger looks like in the AAPI community is all about recognizing not only the diversity of the acronym itself, but the vast spectrum of need housed within it. As a recent report from the Food Research & Action Center points out, the AAPI community is both the fastest growing racial group in the United States and the one with the fastest growing (and widest!) wealth gap. This means that the AAPI community is the most economically divided racial group in the country. Per the FRAC report: “Compared to other racial groups, [AAPI] is small, so when it is included, it tends to be under sampled and erroneously treated as a homogeneous group. These missteps often lead to results that hide the high levels of inequalities and inequities between [AAPI] subgroups, and give a false impression that there are no or few [AAPI] individuals, families, and communities in need of SNAP and other social safety net programs.” In New York City, the need for these social safety net programs is at an all-time high. According to Robin Hood (NYC’s largest poverty-tracking organization), poverty amongst Asian New Yorkers is the fastest growing in the city and is 15-25 percent higher than the city average. As of this writing, over 245,000 Asian New Yorkers are living in poverty, which constitutes nearly 25 percent of the city’s entire Asian population. To combat these inequities, Food Bank partners with organizations across the five boroughs to help Asian Americans and new immigrants enroll in social safety net programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps). But, as Food Bank’s Network Resource Specialist Yuanjing “Jeff” Lin explained to me, enrollment isn’t always as easy as filing a simple form. “The AAPI community encompasses so many different cultures, languages, and origins, so language can be a major roadblock for people,” he said. “Though the city provides some translations for languages spoken by AAPI people [currently Chinese, Korean, and Bengali], there are still so many languages and dialects that are left out.” And even when these translations do exist, Lin says that they don’t always provide further clarity for people. Terms that appear on these forms (like, “household compensation,” for example) may be literally translatable, but that doesn’t mean they necessarily make sense in someone’s native tongue. Therefore, folks often have to have these forms explained to them regardless of the language they’re in. As Lin puts it: “A lot of my work is translating the translation to people, trying to break it down into a simple conversation that they can understand.” This work becomes even more difficult once the government sends back their official approval or rejection letters to the submitted SNAP forms. Why? Well, regardless of the form’s original language, these government letters almost always arrive in English. “Clients will bring me piles of paper and say, ‘Can you let me know if I need to take action?’ You keep receiving papers from the government, but you don’t know what to do with them. Some of my clients bring their children with them, so first we talk to the kids and make them understand in English, then they have to try their best to explain these really complex topics in their own language to their parents... we have to go through multiple layers of barriers.” And this is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of roadblocks, complications, and hurdles non-English speaking AAPI folks may face when trying to access the benefits they need. To surmount these obstacles, Lin says it’s imperative to invest in community-based organizations that can provide personalized translations and resources to different ethnic groups within the AAPI community. One such organization is the Tzu Chi Foundation, a partner agency of ours that provides SNAP enrollment services to folks in Flushing, Chinatown, and Sunset Park. They also distribute culturally appropriate vegetarian meals and pantry goods on a recurring weekly basis. To learn more about how Tzu Chi brings specialized assistance to the Chinese communities they serve, check out the video below. Hunger isn’t something that discriminates by race. It affects all sorts of people, including those who identify as Asian and Pacific Islander. By obscuring this fact with harmful stereotypes and misinformation, we miss out on the opportunity to serve those who need us most. But if we invest in robust translation services at the government level and prioritize funding for community-based organizations that can tailor their programming to the unique needs of their people, we can begin to address the growing issue of food-insecurity in the AAPI community.
Ambassadors |

Rethinking Chinese Food with Chef Lucas Sin

Chef Lucas Sin is on a mission to make Chinese food accessible to all. Whether whipping up northern Chinese staples at his restaurants Junzi & Nice Day or leading a...

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Chef Lucas Sin is on a mission to make Chinese food accessible to all. Whether whipping up northern Chinese staples at his restaurants Junzi & Nice Day or leading a discussion on the connections between Chinese cuisine and other cultures, Sin is always looking for opportunities to infuse his dishes with a little perspective. For him, it's not enough to simply make Chinese food — he wants to tell a story and open people's eyes to where this rich, compelling, and often misunderstood cooking tradition actually comes from. To learn more about his takes on cooking and storytelling, check out our full interview with the chef below! What does Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month mean to you? I would like to see AAPI month as a month of celebration of culture and diversity. What’s so outstanding about a place like New York City is not only the vibrancy of each individual culture, but how they come together. How has your heritage shaped the person you are today? At both of our spots [Junzi Kitchen & Nice Day], our primary goal is a cultural one. Both of those restaurants are trying to the answer the question of why Americans think Chinese is only one thing. We're asking people to think twice about what they consider to be "Chinese American" food. I think heritage and culture is a huge part of why we open restaurants. Personally for me, going back to this idea of cultural confluence, I'm from Hong Kong, which is a classic example of cultures coming together. Popular food in Hong Kong takes a lot of influences from different cultures and perspectives. It's necessary to adopt good ideas from other cultures — that's how Hong Kong was built. What I love about where I grew up is its real sense of cultural diversity. It's a huge part of my DNA as a chef and I'm dedicated to bringing that into our restaurants. What, for you, is the magic of food? The magic of food is that it's a really accessible way to initiate deeper conversations about culture. It's a gateway to conversations about identity, culture, immigration, all of these things. Before the pandemic, we ran this program called "Chef's Table," which illustrated the connections between Chinese culture and other cultures... what's the relationship between Chinese food and food from the Dominican Republic, for example. Is there any influence from DR cooking into Chinese cuisine? Are there any similarities to how Dominican and Chinese restaurants are run? Examining the two-way influence can be really cool. How can you tell your story through food? First, you have to figure out what your story is, and that requires a lot of self-reflection. For me, that self-reflection is about thinking of the things I grew up eating, but also requires research, historical research, into these childhood memories to make sure that my own memories are substantiated by real facts. Just as you would learn about another cuisine, you have to look at the cuisine you grew up with through the lens of a professional chef. Storytelling through food also requires empathy. You have to put yourself in the shoes of your customer and think about how they'll receive the food. The importance of sharing cultural stories is all about helping people to understand that the world is a good and diverse place. What do you think people and organizations can do to combat escalating acts of racism and xenophobia against Asian Americans? Support AAPI restaurants. Also, think about your local Chinese take-out restaurants... they're facing unprecedented challenges, even before the pandemic. What we usually describe as a "Mom and Pop" shop is still very much the reality for these restaurants — mom out front and dad doing the cooking in the back. But they're getting older, and their sons and daughters are super educated and maybe don't want to take over the restaurants any more, even though their livelihoods still depend on them. Oftentimes, these families don't have an easy way out. So, you should absolutely order from those places. From a conversational perspective, we have to stop disparaging this type of Chinese cooking and cuisine. American Chinese is incredibly authentic and these restaurants have amazing efficiencies that people can learn from. It's vital to respect how these businesses are run, how lean they are, and how effective they are at doing what they do. For more stories from chefs on the ground, make sure to check us out on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. (All photos provided by Lucas Sin, courtesy of Matt Taylor-Gross)

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