Cityzens Giving Emergency Food - New York

As you can imagine, COVID-19 has both increased the need for our services and created challenges in providing them safely. The additional costs NYCP has faced due to the pandemic made the significant support from individuals through the Cityzens Giving for Recovery appeal especially welcome. 

Though we had to modify operations for the safety of our visitors and staff, everyone at NYCP is proud that we continued to serve our community without a pause at this crucial time.In New York City, the pandemic has more than doubled the number of residents in need. Approximately one in four New Yorkers is facing food insecurity, with the highest concentration in the Black and Latinx communities we serve in Manhattan and the Bronx. Since March 16, 2020 (the day we switched to COVID-19 operations), we have added 4,000 new Pantry members, and served over 3,000,000 meals. We have been averaging over 30,000 meals a week in our East Harlem location and 15,000 in our Bronx location, serving thousands of individuals and families.  As we start our fiscal year 2021, we anticipate serving 1,000,000 additional meals this year. We also anticipate increased food costs going forward. We are not receiving the usual volume of food donations through corporate drives or our typically robust Food Rescue Program, so we are purchasing more food than ever before and will not compromise on quality or our commitment to healthy food, which means spending more. Normally we receive or rescue over 70% of the food for our Choice Pantry, Hot Meals, and Brown Bag programs.  In FY20, for the period ending on June 30th, that number was slightly under 50%. 

The flexibility and innovation that make NYCP unique among food providers served us well during the pandemic, and we were able to quickly develop solutions to meet the increased need for our services. By setting up temporary tents and tables on the sidewalk in front of the Pantry, we created an outdoor walkup service counter. Choice Pantry members pick up pre-packaged groceries during the day, with our “choice” model suspended for now as the additional workforce and personalized service required makes social distancing in the Pantry impossible. We hope to resume a modified ordering system later this fall. Members continue to receive meat and non-meat proteins, fresh vegetables and fruits, grains and dairy products in each pantry package. Mondays have been added as “senior day” at our East Harlem location; Pantry members over 60 and participants in the Nourish Senior program can collect their groceries in a single socially distanced visit. Hot Meals are now distributed “to go” during a socially distanced afternoon outdoor pickup. Help 365 case managers help with SNAP registration and other benefit entitlements during Pantry pickup hours and also schedule telephone counseling sessions for those seeking support accessing benefits. Project Dignity provided counseling and mail pickup for half the number of homeless guests they would normally see from March through September, when shower facilities reopened with a sign-up for timed appointments on a limited schedule. Case managers anticipate the availability of hygiene services will help to bring program participation back to pre-COVID levels. Project Dignity provides supportive housing and public benefits application assistance, psychiatric evaluations for housing and benefits support, medical screenings, and assistance with obtaining birth certificates and state-issued IDs. The Live Healthy! nutrition education program is providing online recipe and nutrition classes and Greenmarket tours, while administering a CSA pilot program for 30 Bronx families.

Staff are working remotely when possible and in our locations on staggered shifts, wearing masks and practicing social distancing. We have limited the involvement of our volunteers in order to keep to a minimum the number of people in the Pantry spaces per shift and added additional shifts of per diem workers to keep Pantry operations on track. This was a difficult though necessary decision. Volunteers usually make up 70% of the Pantry workforce and many of our volunteers have generously given their time to NYCP for years. They are an integral part of the NYCP team, and we miss their energy and commitment. The willingness of our staff to adapt, and our strong community partnerships, have made it possible for us to continue to provide healthy meals, packages of groceries, and access to benefits. Responding to community need, we even launched a new program – Mobile Delivery – so those for whom COVID-19 exposure could be life-threatening can receive grocery packages without traveling to our locations, and now serve over 200,000 meals through this new program. We recognize the need to consistently reach those unable to visit our Pantry locations once the current health crisis has passed, and are now developing a Mobile Pantry program, which we hope to operate in all five boroughs in 2021.  We could not contemplate adding these new programs, or safely operate our existing services, without the support of individuals like those who gave through this appeal.  We were able to increase our budget to cover unforeseen pandemic-related expenses – from PPE for our staff to patio heaters for fall and winter in our tents – and continue serving New Yorkers in need.  On behalf of everyone at NYCP, I want to thank you again for your unwavering commitment to providing hungry New Yorkers with healthy fresh food.