Spotlight On

Mission: The mission of the Food Bank For New York City is to end hunger by organizing food, information and support for community survival and dignity. As the city’s largest hunger-relief organization, the Food Bank collects, warehouses and distributes food to nonprofit community food programs throughout the five boroughs. The Food Bank also offers ongoing support to food programs through nutrition and food safety education workshops, networking sessions and other tools that build capacity and improve efficiency. As a resource center for our member agencies, legislators, the media and the public, the Food Bank regularly conducts research about hunger in New York City and plays an active role in public policy issues at the city, state and national levels.

Background: A member of America’s Second Harvest and the largest food bank in the country, the Food Bank is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3)that was formed to better meet the growing need for emergency food assistance amongst New York City residents. In 1983, our first year of operation, the Food Bank provided 95 nonprofit community food programs with 500,000 pounds of food.

Today, we provide 61 million pounds of food annually to more than 1,000 community food programs citywide. This is enough food to provide 200,000 meals served to needy families and individuals each day by food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and other community food programs.

Current Programs:

Food Collection, Warehousing and Distribution

• Donated Food: Acquires donations of packaged, perishable, and non-perishable foods from the food industry for food programs
• Fresh Produce: Acquires fresh fruits and vegetables for food programs
• Government: City, state, and federal governments contract with the Food Bank to warehouse, purchase, and distribute food to food programs
• Wholesale Food Purchasing: Provides food programs with large quantities of food and basic supplies at substantial discounts
• Repack: Tailors donated food to the specific needs of the food programs that we serve. This free service to member programs breaks down and repackages bulk containers of 500 pounds or more into sizes suitable for food pantries and soup kitchens

Special Food Programs

• Special Needs: Obtains unique foods, including ethnic, kosher, and vegetarian options that allow community food programs to be responsive to diverse client needs
• Nutrition and Food Safety Education: Professional nutritionists on staff consult regularly with our member agencies about nutrition and food safety through workshops and site visits
• Kids Cafe: An after-school program that provides free meals to New York City’s underprivileged children. In addition to meals, children are in a safe and nurturing environment where they learn about nutrition and participate in educational, recreational, and social activities

Technical Assistance:

• Education Institute for Community Program Advancement: This program provides member agencies with resources to build capacity and enhance services through seminars, hands-on workshops and educational products
• Agency Networking: These monthly sessions provide our community food programs with information and contacts they need to better serve their clients – including meetings with providers of related, non-food services, such as job training and legal assistance

Public Awareness:

• Public Awareness: Through research, we routinely collect and publish data about the needs and experiences of community food programs and the people they serve. We incorporate this information into public awareness and education campaigns about the continuing problem of hunger in the city
• 866-NYC-FOOD: Our toll-free, 24-hour phone number assists people in locating community food programs where they can receive food assistance as well as volunteer their time and offer financial support

Volunteer Programs

• Volunteer: Individuals and groups can repack food at the Food Bank’s Bronx warehouse or they can be referred to any of the over 1,000 food programs in our citywide network

Funding Needs: At a time when an estimated 1 in 5 New Yorkers is turning to food assistance to avoid going hungry - with more than half of them children and the elderly - the Food Bank is stepping up its efforts to combat hunger. In the past four years the organization has increased food distribution by over 40 percent.

Current funding sources include traditional philanthropic foundations, corporations and individual donors. At present, 94 cents of every dollar goes towards food. In addition, all donations to the Food Bank are leveraged to directly enhance the capacity of the city's entire network of community food programs.

Every month, the "Spotlight On" highlights the activities of a different 501(c)3 nonprofit organization located in the tri-state region (NY, NJ, or CT). The selection of organizations for the "Spotlight On" is based on criteria such as programmatic interests, geographic focus, and size, to ensure the broadest possible representation of the region's nonprofit sector.

If you'd like to see your NPO in the "Spotlight," please use this submission form to send us a profile of your organization. Or e-mail a description of your organization, following the above format, to nyweb@foundationcenter.org, with "Spotlight Submission" in the subject line.