MIDTOWN, MANHATTAN — On a June morning, New Yorkers hurried through Times Square with coffee in hand, weaving between commuters, tourists, and flashing billboards.

In the middle of it all, 400 Morgan Stanley volunteers formed assembly lines to pack of tuna, lentils, brown rice, vegetables, and pantry staples. Boxes moved steadily down the line as volunteers packed, sealed, stacked, and loaded meals destined for neighborhoods across New York City.

By day’s end, 4,000 pantry boxes containing 36,000 meals had been packed and were on their way to New Yorkers across the city.

The Crossroads of the City

Morgan Stanley once again transformed Times Square into one of New York City’s most visible reminders that hunger exists in every borough — even in one of the most prosperous cities in the world.

The activation kicked off Morgan Stanley’s annual Global Volunteer Month and marked more than 30 years of partnership with Food Bank For New York City.

The timing has never mattered more. Across the five boroughs, visits to food pantries are near record highs — and federal cuts to SNAP are expected to push that need to a breaking point.

“Rising costs of living and reduced relief funding have led many New Yorkers to turn to Food Bank For NYC for fresh food, household resources, and support programs,” said Jess Presedo, Senior Director of Corporate Engagement at Food Bank For NYC.

And for too many kids across the city, summer doesn’t just mean school is out — it means the breakfasts, lunches, and snacks they counted on all year are gone.

“Hundreds of thousands of people walk through Times Square on any given day,” said Joan Steinberg, Global Head of Philanthropy at Morgan Stanley. “This gives us a unique opportunity to bring visibility to an issue that often remains out of sight. It helps shift perceptions: hunger isn’t a distant issue – it’s happening here in our own communities.”

Since 2017, the Times Square activation alone has helped put food on the table for nearly 30,000 New York City households.

Following the Truck

This year, Food Bank For NYC followed the meals — and the volunteers — after they left Times Square.

The boxes packed that morning weren’t headed for storage. They were loaded onto trucks in real time and delivered through Food Bank For NYC’s network of more than 800 member agencies across the five boroughs — some landing on New Yorkers’ plates within hours.

Inside each box: a week of meals for a family stretching every dollar through a summer without school breakfasts and lunches.

And throughout June, Morgan Stanley volunteers kept showing up. At Food Bank For NYC’s Community Kitchen in West Harlem, where more than 100,000 free meals are served every month, volunteers supported older adult lunch service and community programming, helping serve hundreds of nutritious meals and supporting more than 1,100 households.

At Food Bank For NYC’s Hunts Point Distribution Center in the Bronx — inside the Hunts Point Cooperative Market, the world’s largest food distribution center of its kind — volunteers repacked nearly 6,000 pounds of food across two warehouse shifts. Millions of pounds of food flow through the 90,000-square-foot facility every month.

“The Times Square event is a great introduction to food banking in New York City,” Steinberg said. “I’m also proud of our employees who keep coming back — to the warehouse, to Hunts Point, and to communities across the city — to help ensure New Yorkers have access to food and support.”

Showing Up Year After Year

“Our long-standing partnership means the world to our organization,” Presedo said. “When our neighbors face uncertainty, Morgan Stanley helps Food Bank For NYC provide security year after year.”

This June, that security looked like over 500 volunteers and 700 hours of service across Times Square, West Harlem, and Hunts Point. But for these families, that pantry box wasn’t just a box.

It was dinner on the table that night — helping to ease some of the uncertainty they face during the summer months.

“Every action taken by a volunteer, donor, or advocate makes a difference,” Presedo said. “You are the reason meals were packed for New York City families or an older adult was served a nutritious meal with a smile.

NEW YORK, NY – Today, Food Bank For New York City, City Harvest, and United Way of New York City come together in a joint statement on the City’s newly adopted budget — three organizations united in the fight to keep food on New Yorkers’ tables.

As the impacts of federal cuts to critical safety net programs continue to unfold, New York City’s investment in food security has never been more important. With reductions to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other federal nutrition supports, rising food costs, and an affordability crisis that continues to strain families, state and local government play an increasingly vital role in ensuring New Yorkers can put food on the table. 

The City’s newly adopted Fiscal Year 2027 budget marks a significant commitment to addressing food insecurity by increasing funding for the Community Food Connection program to approximately $80 million. This investment, including an increase in baseline funding to $54 million, represents an important step toward strengthening New York City’s emergency food network and ensuring that communities facing food insecurity have reliable access to the resources they need. At a time when demand continues to grow and federal support for critical nutrition programs is declining, this funding commitment reinforces the vital role of the emergency food network and demonstrates the importance of local leadership in supporting New Yorkers when they need it most.

We are grateful to the thousands of New Yorkers who contacted their elected officials and stood alongside food pantry leaders who rallied on the steps of City Hall and testified before the City Council. We also thank Mayor Mamdani, Council Speaker Menin, and the members of the City Council for recognizing the importance of investing in Community Food Connection and the network of community-based organizations that serve New Yorkers every day.

Since 2019, visits to NYC food pantries have surged by 82 percent; food prices have climbed 25 percent, and food charities have absorbed millions in federal funding cuts with pressures now compounded by recent federal policy changes. Across the city, more than 3.6 million people rely on Medicaid and nearly 2 million on SNAP yet expanded work requirements and new eligibility rules put roughly 223,000 New Yorkers at risk of losing food assistance. This is not because they need it less, but because of new barriers that will only continue to strain the emergency food system.

Together with advocates, community organizations, and our partners in city and state government, we are doing everything to meet the moment. By continuing to invest in food security, we can ensure every New Yorker has access to the nourishment they need while building a stronger, more resilient city for the future.

BROOKLYN, NY —In the middle of an extreme heat warning, with temperatures pushing 100 degrees, Food Bank For New York City and Major League Eating (MLE) didn’t blink. They showed up — fresh produce, grocery staples, and 100,000 hot dogs in hand. Because New Yorkers still need to eat, no matter what the thermometer says.

The distribution took place at the Food Bank For NYC’s Mobile Pantry at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, bringing free groceries directly into neighborhoods. For the families who lined up in the heat, it meant a full cart and one less thing to worry about.

Major League Eating knows this city. Every year, New York hosts The Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest on Coney Island — and this year, MLE made it clear the relationship runs both ways.

Forty-eight hours before the competition, while most competitive eaters were deep in pre-contest prep, MLE’s athletes — Miki Sudo, her husband Nick Wehry, Eric “Badlands” Booker, and Crazy Legs Conti — weren’t eating hot dogs. They were giving them out.

“It’s really nice to just make it not about ourselves, give back and focus on other people,” said Miki Sudo, the undefeated women’s Nathan’s Champion for 12 years running. “That’s actually really relaxing and calming for me.”

Nathan’s Famous made its ninth annual donation of 100,000 hot dogs to Food Bank For NYC — putting the quintessential Fourth of July food directly into the hands of New Yorkers across all five boroughs who needed it most.

“Food brings people together in so many ways,” Sudo said. “When you are preoccupied with lacking a basic need, it’s just hard to enjoy the company and the presence of your friends and family. So by taking one less worry off of people’s minds, we can really help people come together.”

Volunteering in a heat emergency isn’t easy. But the energy at the distribution was high — powered by a belief this city runs on — you show up for the people who show up for you.

Not everyone who helped planned to spend the afternoon volunteering.

Elaina Johnson, a Peace Officer at Medgar Evers College, stepped outside to check on the neighbors standing in line. Instead, she stayed.

“I see how essential this is to others because food doesn’t come cheap and a lot of people are underserved,” Johnson said. “I was one of them. It’s always great to give back because I know what it feels like.”

Families came out despite the oppressive heat, because they had to. Food Bank For NYC’s volunteers and partners came out because they chose to.

This is what showing up looks like. Not just on competition day. Not just when the cameras are rolling. But in the heat of a July afternoon, one neighbor serving another, ensuring families have a meal going into the holiday weekend.

NEW YORK, NY — Eat well, live well. It’s simple advice — if you can afford to follow it. But for the more than 1.4 million New Yorkers facing hunger, nutritious food isn’t a lifestyle choice. It’s out of reach.

And health pays the price: blood pressure climbs, diet-related diseases go unmanaged, and more families end up in the emergency room.

That’s the problem Food Bank For New York City is built to solve. Because when the right food is on the table, health can be, too.

When the Right Food is on the Table

In 2023, Food Bank For NYC was awarded the Food as Medicine 3.0 grant — a Feeding America initiative funded by the Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation — to connect patients experiencing food insecurity through NYC Health + Hospitals facilities including Woodhull Hospital, Kings County Hospital, and Bellevue Hospital to local food resources.

Over three years, the program has reached more than 2,100 New Yorkers. It’s not a one-time handout — it’s sustained, month-over-month access to medically supportive food our neighbors need to manage their health and stay well.

Behind every referral is a New Yorker trying to manage their health, care for their family, and keep moving forward. For New Yorkers like James, the difference has meant fewer impossible choices, and a better chance at staying healthy.

“Before joining the Food as Medicine program, I struggled to manage my blood pressure due to food insecurity,” said James Taylor, who joined the program through Maranatha SDA Church. “But thanks to the medically tailored food bags, I’ve been able to stabilize it. I’m grateful for this support — and I’m feeling healthier.”

ER Visits, Cut Nearly in Half

The data tells the same story. Participants reported an average of 47% fewer emergency room visits compared to the baseline period. Fewer crises. Better disease management. More stability for families already carrying enough.

The FAM3 program was built around what New Yorkers actually need — not just calories, but culturally relevant, nutritious foods — because dignity, choice, and flexibility matter, too.

In the most recent program year, Food Bank For NYC’s Member Services team took the lead — managing referrals internally and overseeing operations from end to end.

“My favorite part of leading the Food as Medicine project has been the opportunity to help shape and grow a program that is making a real difference in people’s lives,” said Trina Brown, Member Services Project Manager at Food Bank For NYC. “Seeing the project evolve — knowing that the work I lead contributes to improving health and increasing access to nutritious food — has been incredibly rewarding.”

This is the Work

This is the work: unglamorous, essential, and deeply human. Program managers like Trina, community health workers, faith-based partners like Maranatha SDA Church all pulling together so that a New Yorker can keep their blood pressure down and stay out of the emergency room.

Food is medicine. And in New York City, we’re making sure it gets to the people who need it most so families can focus on living, not surviving.

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK — On a rainy afternoon in Greenwich Village, hundreds of New Yorkers lined up for groceries and walked away with a rose.

Scott’s Flowers donated 300 single stems for every color of the Pride flag. Blue went fastest.

“A color for everyone,” said Leah Tsalis of Scott’s Flowers. “It’s not always about necessity. People want things too — extra joy and beauty.”

The June 23 Pride distribution, hosted by Food Bank For NYC in partnership with The Red Door Place, provided 6,000 pounds of fresh produce, meat, and shelf-stable groceries in just four hours. Alongside food, neighbors connected with SNAP enrollment support, city resources, free HIV testing, and nutrition education. A rose accompanied each distribution, with 200 people served in a single 30-minute window.

Louis Kang, Director of The Red Door Place, wasn’t surprised. He’s been watching the need grow since COVID, and it hasn’t stopped.

“When safety nets fail, community members rely on pantries like ours,” he said. “You’d be surprised by the amount of need — and the different demographics now impacted.”

It’s a need Food Bank For NYC shows up for every week — more than 10,000 pounds of food delivered to The Red Door Place through retail donations, warehouse resources, and federally subsidized foods.

Held in the heart of Greenwich Village — the neighborhood that helped ignite the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement — the event served as a reminder that Pride has always been about community care.

Many of the New Yorkers served were LGBTQIA+ or seniors living on fixed incomes. A snapshot from the day: one older woman learned her SNAP benefits had increased since last year. By one dollar. Her monthly allotment: $24.

“That’s the minimum you can get on SNAP,” said Alejandra Cleves, Food Bank For NYC’s SNAP Specialist, who spent the afternoon on the ground helping New Yorkers navigate benefits and connect with additional resources.

Anna Herman, Manager of Community Nutrition, ran a fruit-infused seltzer bar for New Yorkers waiting in line — strawberries, citrus, an alternative to soda. Colorful, by design.

“Food insecurity especially impacts historically marginalized groups — LGBTQ people, especially LGBTQ people of color, trans people,” she said. “That’s why showing up matters. So people feel safe coming here.”

Dario, a gay man of color who grew up in Kensington, Brooklyn, came out that afternoon the way he always does — for community.

A corporate veteran who built a career spanning some of the biggest brands in the country, he’s now back in New York, building something of his own.

He picked a yellow rose. It matched his pineapple shirt.

Dario’s been connected to the LGBT Community Center next door for 17 years — since a Craigslist post led him to a Valentine’s Day dance there, a first date, and a best friendship that’s outlasted the romance. He’s been to Food Bank For NYC events before, too. He keeps coming back for the same reason.

“This organization never makes you feel ashamed for needing it,” he said. “They make you feel good about coming. That’s the key.”

For Scott’s Flowers owner Rob Palliser, seeing New Yorkers like Dario leave with groceries and a rose was a reminder of what community looks like.

“The community response keeps bringing us back,” he said. “New Yorkers are New Yorkers. The community will step up for each other. If you want to be part of that—do it.”

Food, flowers, health services, benefits enrollment, and community — this is what Pride looked like that afternoon in Greenwich Village.

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK — It was the night of June 3. The Knicks were tipping off.

While much of the city had its eyes on Game 1, guests gathered at F&F turned their attention to a different challenge facing New York: summer hunger.

Food Bank For New York City’s latest Eat For Good dinner raised more than 45,000 meals for New York City kids facing summer hunger — brought together by four celebrated chefs, a room full of committed New Yorkers, and the kind of Brooklyn night that reminds you why this city is worth fighting for.

Culinary legends Frank Castronovo and Frank Falcinelli, known as The Franks, were joined by acclaimed chefs Dan Richer and Jamie Bissonnette. Elderflower and passionfruit cocktails courtesy of Tito’s Handmade Vodka greeted guests at the door. Grilled octopus skewers circulated and didn’t last long.

President and CEO Leslie Gordon thanked guests for showing up and led the room in a chant of “Go New York, Go New York, Go!” before turning to the reason everyone had gathered.

“Summer can be one of the most difficult times of year for families experiencing food insecurity,” Gordon said. “While much of the city is watching the Knicks tonight, we’re especially grateful that you’re here with us.”

The school year quietly feeds kids through breakfasts, lunches, snacks, and routines families count on every day. Then June comes. For too many New York City kids, summer isn’t a break. It’s a gap.

The guests in that room were there to help fill it.

Then the chefs delivered. Richer’s wild boar and mozzarella pizza from Razza disappeared from tables almost as fast as it arrived. Bissonnette’s Korean short ribs sparked conversation — and an unlikely discovery: sesame leaves and pizza, an unexpectedly perfect pairing that spread table to table.

Castronovo and Falcinelli moved through the room sharing stories and laughter all night, the kind of hosts who make everyone feel like a regular. The evening closed with a rich espresso-soaked tiramisu.

This is what a summer night is supposed to feel like — good food, good company, a table worth gathering around. The guests who filled F&F that evening got exactly that. And because they showed up, so will kids across the five boroughs.

Longtime Eat For Good supporter Sima Littman summed up the sentiment simply: “Every dinner is my new favorite.” A guest of Nationwide agreed: “I love the opportunity to try new foods, have new experiences, and give back while doing it.”

The Knicks won that night. So did New York.

A special thank you to leading sponsors MetLife and Nationwide, and official flight partner United Airlines — whose support helped make the evening, and a summer without childhood hunger, possible.

We thank Governor Hochul, Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, Speaker Heastie, and the New York State Legislature for advancing a FY27 State Budget during a time of persistent food insecurity, rising food costs, and uncertainty surrounding federal nutrition programs. The budget includes important investments to strengthen food security across New York, though significant challenges remain for communities across the state.

We appreciate the State’s continued commitment to strengthening New York’s nutrition safety net through investments including:

• $72.8 million for the Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program (HPNAP),
• $8.7 million for the Nutrition Outreach & Education Program (NOEP),
• Continued Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) access and outreach efforts,
• Support for Universal School Meals, funding to transition SNAP EBT cards to chip technology, and,
• $10 million for a new program called NY PLATES to bolster emergency food network capacity.

These investments will help food assistance providers meet growing demand for emergency food, connect eligible households to critical benefits, and support families and individuals facing rising costs.

At the same time, we note that the final budget did not include increased funding for Nourish New York or the proposed $3 million reimbursement fund for households impacted by stolen SNAP and cash assistance benefits. Strengthening these investments remains an important opportunity to support New York farmers, regional food systems, and families and communities experiencing food insecurity, including those who have lost critical benefits through theft and fraud.

As implementation begins, we look forward to working with state leaders to address remaining gaps, ensure timely distribution of resources, monitor the impact of federal food and nutrition policy changes, protect child nutrition programs, and advance long-term solutions that strengthen food security across New York.

Signed,

Leslie Gordon

President and CEO of Food Bank For New York City

Grace Bonilla

President and CEO of United Way of New York City

Jilly Stephens

CEO of City Harvest

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK — On May 14, Food Bank For NYC’s fourth annual Gotham Ball turned the Seagram building red for a night celebrating what the city does best: taking care of its own.

This year’s theme was the Big Apple, and the night delivered on every bit of it. But beneath the glittering Big Apple disco ball, crimson florals, and candlelit tables drenched in scarlet is a crisis this city cannot ignore.

One in four New Yorkers experiences food insecurity. One in three kids in the Bronx doesn’t have enough to eat. Gotham Ball exists because those numbers demand a response — and this year, guests gave one, raising more than 3.5 million meals for New Yorkers across all five boroughs.

Guests began the evening with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at The Grill beneath the 18-foot Giving Tree installation, where glittering apple ornaments could be purchased to help fill a Food Bank For NYC truck with fresh produce. From there, they moved through immersive moments spotlighting real statistics of hunger across the city before entering The Pool for the dinner and program.

Leslie Gordon, President and CEO of Food Bank For NYC, opened the evening with the reality too many New Yorkers are living each day:

“Federal safety nets are fraying. SNAP participation is declining. Across our city, a record number of New Yorkers are struggling to put food on the table,” But you are here — because you not only care deeply about our mission, but the people behind it.”

The evening honored three New Yorkers recognized for using their platforms to uplift communities and drive change: nationally syndicated radio host and cultural commentator Charlamagne Tha God, celebrated restaurateur and chef Missy Robbins, and wellness advocate Isaac Boots. Together, the honorees reflected the spirit of the night itself — culture, community, and New Yorkers using their voices to step up for this city.

Charlamagne Tha God put the stakes plainly for families across our city: “COVID and the government shutdown showed us that working-class people are often just one paycheck away from not being able to put food on the table,” he said. “But the Food Bank For NYC was ready and able to help. That is what they do.”

Isaac Boots made the mission personal. “Not knowing where your next meal is coming from is a frightening reality. But it is a reality for so many people. Supporting organizations like Food Bank For NYC is critical because they are there for people when they need it most.”

Then Tony- and Emmy-winning performer Kristin Chenoweth took the stage. Before opening with a soaring rendition of “Que Sera, Sera,” the original Broadway Glinda in Wicked reflected on the people behind Food Bank For NYC’s mission and the power of showing up for others.

“What Food Bank For NYC does is extraordinary,” Kristin told the crowd. “A lot of you here tonight are like family, and it means so much to know there are people in this world who care.” As she reflected on the scale of the organization’s work — including more than 100,000 pounds of food distributed last year — she paused and laughed: “That’s like Godzilla!”

She closed with “For Good,” brought the crowd to its feet, and kept them there, dancing long into the night.

The night ended the way New York’s best nights usually do: loud, glamorous, and shoulder-to-shoulder on the dance floor. Guests returned to The Grill for an afterparty glowing in sequins, lacquer, neon red light, and the unmistakable feeling of a city showing up for its own.

“Good, healthy food is a basic human right, and too many people in our own city are being denied this right,” said Andrea Shaw Resnick, member of the Food Bank For NYC Board of Directors. “It is incumbent upon all of us who are able to lend our time, energy, and financial support to give back to our communities.”

Special thanks to our friends at Major Food Group, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, San Pellegrino and Acqua Panna, Bub’s Bakery, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Fres Co, Gallagher & Co., Himan Brown Charitable Trust, Tower Research Capital LLC who made the night — and the mission to end food insecurity— possible.

Because when New York comes together, we’re unstoppable.