A Letter from the Desk of Jilly Stephens in Response to the Government Shutdown
When Paychecks Stop, Your Support Keeps Food on the Table
October 24, 2025
Four weeks into the nation’s second longest government shutdown, we have begun to see its effect on our neighbors. In a city where 50% of our fellow New Yorkers are struggling to make ends meet, just a single missed paycheck can force federal workers to seek food assistance, some for the very first time. And thanks to your support, City Harvest is there for them.
Last week, we partnered with Blue Star Families to deliver nearly 4,000 pounds of carrots, potatoes, onions, peanut butter, cooking oil, rice, and pasta to around 200 active-duty military, veterans, and members of the military community at Fort Wadsworth in Staten Island and Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn. Yesterday, we distributed fresh produce and pantry staples like tomato sauce and canned green beans to federal contractors and employees near LaGuardia Airport in Queens.
And with your support, we can commit to doing even more—because our neighbors need us to. Our team is ordering food now to prepare in the event that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are disrupted in November if the shutdown continues. This would be truly devastating for the 1.8 million New Yorkers who depend on this critical program. We are working together with our food pantry partners in neighborhoods with the highest levels of SNAP enrollment and are bringing in more food for them to distribute.
Visits to New York City soup kitchens and food pantries were already at a record high. The significant added strain of the shutdown demands that we do even more.
This is an uncertain time for so many in our city. Together, we can provide hope by ensuring our neighbors have access to the nutritious food they need. But we can only do it with your help. Give now so that City Harvest can be there for New Yorkers impacted by the shutdown—and for everyone who is turning to us to put dinner on the table.
In partnership,
Jilly
