City Harvest Programs
Emergency Food Programs
The Problem
Today, more than 1.2 million New Yorkers do not always know where their next meal will come from. These families and individuals find the food they need to survive through a network of soup kitchens and food pantries spread across the five boroughs. Emergency food programs serve as a valuable safety net for New Yorkers who have to make difficult choices between paying the rent or buying groceries, going to the doctor or providing dinner for the family.
City Harvest's Response
City Harvest was founded on the visionary concept that excess food should feed someone who is hungry rather than go to waste. We distribute food that would otherwise go to waste to community programs that provide groceries and meals to hungry New Yorkers, tapping all segments of the food industry including restaurants, grocers, corporate cafeterias, manufacturers, and farms. Our food rescue efforts help meet the need for emergency food in low-income communities and support complimentary services that promote long term solutions to hunger. Meet some of our generous food donors.
Begun over 25 years ago, City Harvest's food rescue model has since been replicated throughout the world. To date, we have collected more than 269 million pounds of food, enabling agencies across the city to provide groceries or prepared meals to the working poor, children, and seniors. Nutrient-rich food comprises more than 75 percent of our deliveries, including meat and protein items like chicken, canned tuna and salmon, and beans; dairy like yogurt, cheese, and fresh and shelf stable milk; 100% juice; and fresh produce like apples, green peppers, squash, and lettuce greens. In fact, our food collection increasingly emphasizes excess fresh, local food from farm sources.
Our goal is to distribute food, free of charge, to emergency food providers who feed hungry men, women, and children throughout the five boroughs of New York City. Using a fleet of trucks, bikes, and volunteers on foot, this year City Harvest will rescue more than 26 million pounds of food.
