Food Bank NYC: Fighting Holiday Hunger for 1.3 Million New Yorkers
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Food Insecurity |
ReadFood Bank NYC: Fighting Holiday Hunger for 1.3 Million New Yorkers
The Holidays Are Here But for Many New Yorkers, So Is Uncertainty For 1.3 million New Yorkers struggling with food insecurity, the holidays often bring anxiety instead of joy. Skyrocketing grocery prices and the steep cost of essentials force impossible decisions: honoring cherished traditions or meeting basic needs. At Food Bank For New York City, we believe food is far more than sustenance - it’s a bridge to culture, family, and dignity. That’s why we’re dedicated to ensuring every neighbor has what they need to celebrate the season without sacrifice. Longtime Food Bank friend and supporter Tracy Morgan helped us deliver 400 turkeys in Brooklyn! How Food Bank Is Fighting Hunger During the Holidays Food Bank For NYC provides food and critical resources to over 800 food pantries and soup kitchens across the five boroughs, including holiday essentials that make the season bright for New Yorkers struggling to feed their families. Last month alone, we delivered nearly 16,000 turkeys to NYC, ensuring our neighbors from all walks of life could enjoy special meals with the people they love most. This includes partnerships like: Stop & Shop in Bed-Stuy, where 400 turkeys reached local families in Brooklyn. Islamic Relief USA in Harlem, which helped us provide 240 Halal turkeys at our Community Kitchen & Food Pantry, ensuring celebrations reflect cultural and dietary values. Our commitment to culturally relevant food is a cornerstone of our work. As Sharin, a Muslim woman who visits our Community Kitchen explains: “It’s so incredible the way Food Bank treats us. For example, during Ramadan, Food Bank will have special Halal meals for those who need them. Food Bank takes extra care and treats us so well.” Sharin receives her Halal turkey from Sultana Ocasio, Director of our Community Kitchen. Stories of Resilience From NYC Pantries At 9 Million Reasons Food Pantry in Queens, Yessica, a recently arrived Peruvian New Yorker, shared how this Food Bank member has become an essential part of her holidays. “This pantry provides us with all the important ingredients we need to cook for the season,” she says. And Yessica isn’t just a recipient - she’s also a volunteer, giving back to the community that welcomed her. Yessica with her little dino (son). For Lonnie, a lifelong New Yorker living with a disability, 9 Million Reasons has brought comfort and tradition to his holidays. “They provide the turkey, the candied yams, the collard greens, the fresh green beans,” he shared with a smile. “The only thing I need is the seasoning... they provide everything else!” Lonnie loves the fresh food he receives at Food Bank member 9 Million Reasons. Why Your Support Matters This Holiday Season Inflation has made the holidays more expensive for everyone, but its burden falls hardest on those with the least. When tight budgets stretch even thinner, celebrations can feel out of reach. This is why Food Bank’s work, and your support, are so vital right now. By contributing to our 40 Million Meals campaign, you can help ensure no New Yorker goes without food this holiday season, helping all our neighbors, no matter who they are or where they come from, celebrate with the dignity they deserve. Click here to give now! Learn more about our work and see how you can make a difference this holiday season at www.foodbanknyc.org. And for a special thank you in advance, watch the video below: -
Food Assistance |
ReadMilitary Veterans Combating Hunger: From NYC to the Middle East
Muhammad Talha and Ron Olaizola share a unique bond as both members of the operations team at Food Bank For New York City and reservists in the U.S. military—Ron serving...
Muhammad Talha and Ron Olaizola share a unique bond as both members of the operations team at Food Bank For New York City and reservists in the U.S. military—Ron serving in the Air Force and Talha in the Army. They are among several dedicated veterans managing Food Bank For New York City's Warehouse & Food Distribution Center, with Ron recently back from deployment in the Middle East. A dynamic duo: Food Bankers Muhammad Talha left, and Ron Olaizola at our Bronx Food Distribution Center. During his deployment, Ron was involved in a humanitarian aid mission that aligned closely with his work at Food Bank—for refugees in Syria and Gaza. He helped assemble culturally relevant food pallets, specifically halal meals, tailored to communities in need. As Ron put it, “In those moments, I felt like I was back at Food Bank.” Regardless of whether they are providing service in a conflict zone or in the heart of New York City, Talha and Ron are devoted to ensuring that the right food reaches those in need, from children and families to older adults and veterans. Talha's commitment to service was underscored by his personal experiences, having faced hunger as an immigrant from Pakistan and recognizing the impact of hunger in his homeland. “I joined the Military and my passion for service only grew,” says Talha. “I don’t want anyone to feel hunger, because I faced it. I came from Pakistan as an immigrant and hunger is a major issue there. I have seen it. I have felt it very closely. I have learned that we have to care, we have to look out for each other.” Food Banker Muhammad Talha is a proud Army Veteran. Roughly 24% of active service members struggle with food insecurity, and 1.2 million veterans rely on SNAP benefits nationwide. As Ron prepares to retire from the Air Force in March 2025, both he and Talha remain resolved to ensure that veterans and anyone facing hunger have access to meals and support during challenging times. “I’m lucky to have a family, a job, and food to come home to,” says Ron. “Many of my friends don’t.” Watch the video to learn more about this dynamic duo and see how you can support food insecure service members this Veteran’s Day. -
Food Insecurity |
ReadNothing Stops Rafaela
Rafaela left her home country of Venezuela with a suitcase of dreams. Leaving everything and everyone she loved behind wasn't easy, but the choice was one she had to...
Rafaela left her home country of Venezuela with a suitcase of dreams. Leaving everything and everyone she loved behind wasn't easy, but the choice was one she had to make. When she arrived in New York City, she struggled to find her footing, but eventually discovered a sense of home at Food Bank's Warehouse & Distribution Center in the Bronx. Help us get period products, hygiene essentials, and childcare resources to women and girls in need! Rafaela working an early morning shift at Food Bank's Warehouse & Distribution Center in the Bronx. As a Warehouse Professional, Rafaela spends her days getting food to our neighbors all across the five boroughs. Long hours of heavy lifting, operating fork lifts, and utilizing pallet jacks can be exhausting, but Rafaela says she's proud to give back to a city and a country that has given her so many opportunities. "When you hit rock bottom, you learn to value every single thing you have," she told us. "It's a sense of gratitude you keep in your heart. I want to show myself every day that I can do it... I have no limits - the sky is the limit." Rafaela loading cases of shelf-stable goods at Food Bank's Warehouse & Distribution Center in the Bronx. We caught up with Rafaela during one of her shifts to learn more about her fighting spirit to empower every New Yorker to achieve food security for good. Hit play and meet her below: Join us in celebrating the women we serve and those who power our mission every day at this link. Together, we can make progress on a more hopeful, dignified, and equitable future for ALL. -
Food Insecurity |
ReadLiz in the Warehouse
Elizabeth Romano is the Senior Director of Operations at Food Bank For New York City's Warehouse & Distribution Center in the Bronx. Each day, she shows up early and...
Elizabeth Romano is the Senior Director of Operations at Food Bank For New York City's Warehouse & Distribution Center in the Bronx. Each day, she shows up early and leaves late to make sure life-changing produce, hygiene products, and shelf-stable goods reach the homes of those who need them most. Help us get period products, hygiene essentials, and childcare resources to women and girls in need! Elizabeth Romano at Food Bank's Warehouse & Distribution Center in the Bronx. When Liz was growing up with five siblings in the Bronx, that home was her own, and she recalls waiting on long pantry lines with her mother to get food for their family. But at the time, she didn't even realize that's what they were doing, as the pantry workers always treated them with such warmth, dignity, and respect. Elizabeth with her younger siblings. Now, Liz gets to return that energy right back to the city she loves. "At the end of the night, I know that our work helped feed somebody today," she told us. "Our donors help any sibling that has to go out and stand in a pantry line with their parent... it can be anything that changes your life." Hit play and meet Liz below: Join us in celebrating the women we serve and those who power our mission every day at this link. Together, we can make progress on a more hopeful, dignified, and equitable future for ALL. -
Food Insecurity |
ReadSha-Quana on a Mission
When Sha-Quana was 19, she found herself in a shelter with her baby girl. Times were tough and there were moments when she had only $10 to her name. How would she spend...
When Sha-Quana was 19, she found herself in a shelter with her baby girl. Times were tough and there were moments when she had only $10 to her name. How would she spend the money? Would she buy a sandwich to feed herself or baby formula for her daughter? You know what choice she made and know that it wasn't a choice at all. Help us get period products, hygiene essentials, and childcare resources to women and girls in need! Sha-Quana Cromwell at Food Bank's Community Kitchen & Food Pantry in Harlem. But things started to turn around when Sha-Quana got a job at Food Bank's Community Kitchen in West Harlem. At first, it was just a paycheck, but it soon turned into something more. Helping to prepare hundreds of meals a day for New Yorkers in need brought a light into Sha-Quana's life. As she says, she's now on a mission. Sha-Quana with Food Bank Culinary Manager Chef Sheri. To learn more about Sha-Quana and see her in action helping to prepare the hundreds of meals we serve a day at our Community Kitchen, click play below: Join us in celebrating the women we serve and those who power our mission every day at this link. Together, we can make progress on a more hopeful, dignified, and equitable future for ALL. -
Food Insecurity |
ReadEmpower Her, Elevate All
Running from March 1 to May 1 each year, Food Bank's Woman to Woman campaign is all about raising funds to provide women and girls facing food insecurity with the period...
Running from March 1 to May 1 each year, Food Bank's Woman to Woman campaign is all about raising funds to provide women and girls facing food insecurity with the period products, hygiene essentials, and childcare resources they need to thrive. To support this work, we run ads throughout the city featuring women and girls proudly served by Food Bank member agencies. At this year's photoshoot, we met Jessica, who came to us on the recommendation of our friends at The HopeLine in the Bronx. Jessica showed up early, ready to offer her voice and perspective to the campaign. When we started talking to her, it was clear that she had a story to share, one rooted in struggling to feed her family of five amidst cuts to her benefits and the rising costs of everything from baby formula to diapers and topical cream. Jessica at Food Bank's Community Kitchen & Food Pantry with her daughter. Jessica is just one of many New Yorkers fighting to make ends meet, not only for herself, but for her family. By supporting Food Bank's Woman to Woman campaign, you can help fill in the gaps for women like Jessica all across the five boroughs. Meet Jessica and hear her story below: In a city that never gives up on its people, we’re committed to delivering services and solutions that empower everyone, no matter who they are or where they come from. We want to change what's possible today so that the women and girls we proudly serve can take charge of their stories and chart new paths for the future. Join us in this work today and you can help us give for good. -
Food Insecurity |
ReadFinding Hope at the Girls Club
Food Bank For New York City launched Woman to Woman in 2016 with chef, author, and Food Bank Board Member Katie Lee Biegel. The award-winning campaign raises critical...
Food Bank For New York City launched Woman to Woman in 2016 with chef, author, and Food Bank Board Member Katie Lee Biegel. The award-winning campaign raises critical funds to assemble and distribute hygiene kits packed with pads, tampons, panty liners, diapers, deodorant, and soap to women and girls facing poverty in New York City. But what do these New Yorkers look like? Well, for 2023, we wanted to put a face to the initiative by featuring some of these women and girls in a public awareness campaign that will run online and across the streets of NYC from now until April 30. One of the participants, Felicia, visited set with her daughter, and the dynamic duo lit up the room with their enthusiasm, warmth, and zest for life. We spoke with Felicia to learn more about her story and how finding her way to the Lower Eastside Girls Club (a Food Bank member agency serving girls in downtown Manhattan) was a saving grace for her and her daughter. Read the full interview below! Felicia (left) and her daughter in one of our Woman to Woman ads. So, to start, are you a native New Yorker? I was actually born in Charleston, South Carolina to two wonderful parents. I come from a family that served in the Military on my father’s side and, on my mother’s side, I come from a line of great cooks, seamstresses, and builders. I moved to New York City with my mom when I was five. She was a single mother then and we moved into Brooklyn. I hear you’re connected to the Lower Eastside Girls Club... how long have you been going there? I’ve been married twice, and we got to know the Girls Club when my daughter and I were living in a shelter three years ago. I asked God to send a mentor to help my daughter through this really tough time separating from her father, I was going through so many different emotions. And little did I know that there was a safe haven right around the corner from us... the Girls Club. Finding the Girls Club helped my daughter get her self-esteem back. She found love with the women there, the mentors and friends she found there, who provided her with information and resources. I wanted to say goodbye to the world at the time, but the Girls Club gave me and my daughter hope. She made friends and had her mind and spirit exposed to all different sorts of activities. My daughter is an artist by nature, so she loves all of the art classes she can take. The Girls Club is just one of the best things that has ever happened to us Felicia (left) and her daughter at our Woman to Woman shoot. What made you want to join our Woman to Woman photo shoot? Personal hygiene is all about self-love and respect. As a woman, it’s very important. I remember when I was young... I was living with my aunt and her three daughters who were all around the same age. Believe you me, we did not always have access to period products in our home. Sometimes we had to use toilet paper, and if we didn’t have that, we used a cloth. It was debilitating and embarrassing. When you don’t have these products, you can’t go to school or even go outside. You just keep it quiet as can be. Throughout my life, when I haven’t been able to afford these products, it’s been humiliating and devastating. And so one of the things I love about the Girls Club is that when I went into their bathroom for the first time, I saw all the products there – the tampons, the cute little packages you could put in your purse. This is how you show love, care, and awareness. Some girls may not have this in their house because the items are so expensive! Astronomically expensive! I’m a home health attendant and I have to go buy diapers and pads for my clients and I’m like, whoa! Who can afford these things? I remember growing up, I would usually get my tampons at school and not from home because my mom didn’t have the money or she would forget. It’s important to have these things in public spaces because people need them, and so they should be available. In 2023, we should not be embarrassed about this anymore. What hopes do you have for your daughter? My hope is that she really loves herself. Self-love, self-awareness is so important. I want the best for all of my kids and I’m behind them, no matter what they want to be. If you want to be a dancer, a designer, an artist, be the best that you can be. I worry that I don’t always have enough money or time to help push my daughter, but that’s why I rely on groups and programming to help fill in the gaps. I hope that she will be confident to fulfill her goals and know that her mother and her sister are behind her 100 percent. I want her to wake up and enjoy every day with peace and solitude and community around her. A huge thanks to Felicia for speaking with us and to all the women who joined us at our photo shoot! For more on our Woman to Woman campaign (and to see how YOU can help us provide thousands of hygiene kits to our neighbors across the five boroughs) click this link. -
Food Assistance |
ReadWelcome to The Core!
Welcome to The Core, Food Bank For New York City’s new blog! We created this space to dive a little deeper into the subjects, stories, and stakeholders that power our...
Welcome to The Core, Food Bank For New York City’s new blog! We created this space to dive a little deeper into the subjects, stories, and stakeholders that power our mission. You may be familiar with Food Bank as the city's largest hunger relief organization, but our work actually spans a great deal more. So, The Core will give you insight into how we operate, who we serve, and what kinds of impact we make across all five boroughs of the greatest city in the world. But don’t worry, we won’t just be talking about New York! Anyone and everyone with a hunger for food justice, equity, and advocacy will find a home here where they can learn new ideas and read some fantastic stories. To that end, we’ll have content covering a variety of subjects, including: Activism, Nutrition + Health, Financial Empowerment, and Stories from the Field. So, let’s meet these categories and figure out how we use them here at Food Bank and what they’ll mean to you. Activism Activism is at the heart of everything we do. To fight hunger is to actively fight poverty, which includes standing up for and supporting low-income New Yorkers and their families. This means not only getting them the resources they need to survive and thrive, but also advocating for policies that serve their best interests. So, we’ll be tagging stories that deal with both activism and advocacy in the hunger space. We’ll share information about the fights we’re taking on and the ones waging at the local, state, and federal levels. To get involved with our own efforts, join Food Bank’s action team. Nutrition + Health Another important facet of our work is nutrition, specifically as it relates to education, health and equity. Our nutrition program focuses on teaching folks how to establish and maintain healthy habits on a limited budget, which helps to fight hunger while addressing some of poverty’s key contributing factors – in both the short and long term. So, we’ll be giving you your fill of yummy recipes, nutrition tips, and resources exploring the relationships between food, health, culture, and poverty. Food Assistance In this category, we’ll explore not only the topic of food assistance, but also SNAP benefits and enrollment as well as insights into the various factors that impact emergency food providers across the city. We want to make it as easy as possible for people to find food whenever they need it. To do that, we’ve created an array of tools New Yorkers can use to source free meals and connect with local pantries and soup kitchens for immediate food assistance. If you’re looking for food assistance now, check out our virtual food locator. Financial Empowerment Financial empowerment refers to the sense of security that comes from being in control of one’s finances. Have you ever been down to your last 20 bucks, with more month to go before your next check? Not a great feeling. Well, for many low-income New Yorkers, living in a city as expensive as ours makes that feeling a constant companion. To help the New Yorkers we serve feel more financially empowered, we offer an array of financial resources, from free tax assistance for the working poor to SNAP enrollment and community-based financial coaching. We designed these tools because the truth is, fighting hunger takes more than food. If there’s a change in tax policy that could impact New Yorkers or if we’re leading a free (virtual) workshop on financial management, we’ll make sure to cover it here. We’ll also provide tips anyone can use to become a better budgeter! Research The hunger space is a dynamic one, so it’s important to stay on top of all the latest research to ensure that our messaging is current to our cause and relevant to our communities. Food Bank’s proprietary research has long been industry-leading, but we also rely on reports from other prominent institutions to inform the work we do. To keep you up-to-date, we’ll be sharing all of our latest research findings on this blog. Stories from the Field Here, we’ll feature photographs, interviews, and videos from the field. We work with over 1,000 food pantries, soup kitchens, and schools across the city, and our partners on the ground are the ones who keep this whole operation running. And trust us – they've got plenty of stories to tell! We’ll also share stories from those who experience hunger firsthand so that you can better understand what food insecurity actually looks like. To make sure you never miss a single anecdote, hit subscribe to get fresh updates on The Core as soon as they arrive.