Food Bank Members Collaborate in Queens

Time flies when you’re having fun and making an impact doesn’t it? In honor of National Volunteer Month, Food Bank threw a celebration for the amazing individuals who give their time, resources, and talents to help us empower every New Yorker to achieve food security for good. Can we get a round of applause? Food Bank staff celebrated our amazing volunteers. This year’s annual Volunteer Appreciation Party was a night to remember! The room was buzzing with energy as we commemorated a year of hard work, dedication, and commitment to serving our neighbors in need. Volunteers, their friends, and Food Bank Staff enjoyed a memorable night of food, fun, and gratitude. Food Bank recognized volunteers who have gone above and beyond to serve our mission, recognizing their dedication and commitment with Libby Awards. Nicole, Director, Volunteer Engagement thanking volunteers. To all of our incredible volunteers – thank you. Thank you for your passion, your hard work, and your unwavering commitment to making New York City a better place for everyone. We couldn't do this without you, and we're so honored to have you as part of our Food Bank family. Food Bank volunteers reveled at The Slate. Cheers to another year of fighting hunger and empowering our communities, together! Cheers to the 2024 volunteer season! Without further ado, we present to you the following exceptional individuals and organizations who have left an indelible mark on our organization… Joanie Wang, Volunteer of the Year Joanie always arrives early and gets right to work. She’s come to know the process of our pantry distribution so well that she is able to anticipate our needs. And her work doesn’t stop at serving in our pantry – Joanie has served more than 180 hours across four Food Bank programs in just the past year! For this, we honored Joanie with our Volunteer of the Year award. Unfortunately, Joanie could not attend, so our Director of Volunteer Engagement, Nicole Harrison, accepted the award on Joanie’s behalf. Stop & Shop, Outstanding Corporate Partner This year we presented our Outstanding Corporate Partner award to Stop & Shop. We cannot express how grateful we are to each of the Stop & Shop staff members who have joined us on the ground at our Mobile Pantry and pop-up distributions across the five boroughs. We also thank them for the 2,500 turkeys they donated to ensure our neighbors could serve robust meals this Thanksgiving. Our Mobile Pantry Director, Chantel Peters, joined our Manager of Volunteer Engagement, Aaliyah Cardenas, to present the award to Shannon Karafian, accompanied by volunteer Denise Johnson, to accept on behalf of Stop & Shop. We are so grateful for their continued service and partnership! Johanna Goldman, Outstanding Community Kitchen & Food Pantry Volunteer Johanna always comes to our Community Kitchen & Food Pantry with the enthusiasm to help where it is needed most, putting her all into the work that she does. In the past year, Johanna has served over 200 hours in our Food Pantry! Unfortunately, Johanna could not attend so the Associate Director of our Community Kitchen & Food Pantry, Sam Burgos, accepted the award on Johanna’s behalf. P.S. M79 – Horan School, Outstanding Community Kitchen & Food Pantry Partner The Horan School empowers individuals with developmental and learning disabilities by creating equitable opportunities for their students to encourage their engagement within the community. Since they have begun serving with us, they have served more than 540 hours in our pantry. We so appreciate the dedication, commitment, and compassion their group has exemplified in our Food Pantry, and we are proud to be presenting them with this award. Debbie-Ann Morrison, Outstanding Warehouse Volunteer While our Repack Programming has previously been geared towards groups of 10 our more, we’ve recently begun hosting shifts to invite individuals and families to help us better support our warehouse. Debbie-Ann has served with Food Bank since before the pandemic hit in March 2020. We thank her for sticking by us in times of adversity and committing to empowering our neighbors. We are proud to honor her with our Outstanding Warehouse Volunteer award! Juliana Musonda, Outstanding Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Volunteer Juliana’s positive attitude allowed us to provide quality tax preparation service without stress and her can-do attitude and willingness to be challenged is a testimony of her character. She has gone above and beyond this year, filing 150 returns and secured $249,803 in refunds to our neighbors. We are so grateful for her service and are proud to present her with the Outstanding VITA Volunteer award! Johanna could not attend so the Associate Director of our VITA Coordinator, Erika Landi, accepted the award on Juliana’s behalf. St. John’s University and Queensborough Community College (QCC), Outstanding VITA Partner This year, St. John’s and QCC students have come together to file over 1,100 returns putting more than $1,500,000 back into the pockets of New Yorkers city-wide. We are beyond grateful for everything our partners have done to encourage students to get involved in our VITA program. Professors Nina Dorata and Mark Ulrich accepted the awards on the schools’ behalf. Deliverance Baptist Church, Outstanding Mobile Pantry Partner Since the Mobile Pantry program’s inception, Deliverance Baptist Church has hosted the most distributions and served the most families, providing crucial resources and food to over 9,000 households. Food Bank honors the many ways DBC has continued to show up for food insecure New Yorkers. Unfortunately, Deliverance Baptist Church could not attend so our Mobile Pantry Team, Melissa Pino and Chantel Peters, accepted the award on Johanna’s behalf. To get involved and volunteer, email us at volunteer@foodbanknyc.org. Volunteers with Zac Hall, Senior Vice President of Programs at Food Bank For New York City. Raffle items included an autographed Henrik Lundquist jersey. Catering by Slate.

On May 8, Food Bank For New York City took over The Grill & The Pool at the iconic Seagram Building to host our second annual 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, but also got the chance to bid on exclusive auction items, learn about our work, and, of course, dance the night away. Live entertainment throughout the night captured the rocking spirit of NYC. As guests arrived, they were greeted by smiling Food Bankers and a special cab dressed up for the night's festivities. After checking in, attendees moved to The Grill to mingle over lively conversations, delicious libations, and a groovy DJ set. Guests were invited to pose with our special Food Bank cab. Revelers started the evening in The Grill. At the strike of 8 pm, Party-goers made their way to The Pool, where culinary stations from Dirty French, Carbone, Estiatorio Milos, Nami Nori, and more were waiting for them with specialty small bites and treats. A rocking band was also playing live music that soared throughout the candlelit space. Guests enjoyed small bites and cocktails while sitting around The Pool. Nami Nuri turned it out with these crispy sushi roll-ups. "Next Level Chef" star Cassie Yeung and friend enjoying the music and vibes in The Pool. Why not end the night with delectable bite-sized donuts from Fan Fan Doughnuts? After sampling dishes from our amazing team of chefs, restauranteurs, and culinary superstars, guests gathered to hear remarks from Food Bank Board Member Katie Lee Biegel. Biegel touched on the power of Food Bank supporters and encouraged those in the room to share their Whys with one another. She then introduced Food Bank President & CEO Leslie Gordon to the stage. Food Bank Board Member Katie Lee Biegel delivered a heartfelt speech. Gordon thanked guests for coming and shared updates on what's been going on at Food Bank since last year's Gotham Ball, including the construction of a new refrigeration space in our Warehouse, the reopening of community meal service in our Community Kitchen, and the news that in 2023 we distributed more than 94 million pounds of food to New Yorkers in need, thanks to the generosity of supporters like those gathered in the room. Food Bank President & CEO Leslie Gordon talked about the hunger heroes who have long inspired her own work. She then introduced guests to our neighbor, Gregory. Known in our Community Kitchen for his consummate style and flair, Gregory has been both a participant and volunteer in our programming since 2018. He also happens to run a small business out of his home crafting bespoke bowties that are as vibrant as he is. To celebrate Gregory and his story of resilience and empowerment, Leslie invited guests to turn their attention to the screen to learn more about this amazing New Yorker. Fired up and ready to go, the crowd dove into our live auction, bidding on a range of items including a private culinary adventure at Milos Midtown, a custom art piece from pop artist Ashley Longshore, and bowties handmade by Gregory himself. The auction was a lively affair, with bids zooming across the room. 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 to empower every New Yorker to achieve food security for good. Truly, a night we won't soon forget. Enjoy a few more pics below or click here to see our full album! The Pool was the place to be as party-goers mingled with one another and learned about our mission. Leslie Gordon with SNL star and Food Bank friend Kenan Thompson. Guests, including Food Bank Junior Board Chair Sarah Bennett (center), enjoyed a night of live music, amazing food, and new friends.