Far too many New Yorkers went hungry this year as the number of people visiting food pantries skyrocketed 80% from pre-pandemic levels, according to City Harvest, a local food rescue organization.
Food insecurity is especially pronounced in the Bronx. Forty-percent of Bronx adults self-reported that they are “always, sometimes or usually stressed” about affording food, according to a report issued in January by the state Department of Health, which represents the highest percentage across the five boroughs.
Local nonprofits, even those that are not specifically centered around food, stepped up to help this year in a variety of ways.
In October, City Harvest celebrated 20 years of the Melrose Neighborhood Mobile Market, which sets up like a farmer’s market complete with food demos and samples. The twice-monthly produce distribution serves around 500 residents at a time and reroutes food that would otherwise go to waste into communities instead.
A new partnership between GrowNYC, The Point CDC and the Graham Windham O.U.R. Place Family Enrichment Center is bringing fresh foods from New York farmers into the Bronx, where residents can sample ingredients and learn new recipes, and farmers can get paid for their produce instead of donating it.
Some enterprising students at Fordham University launched an effort called Fordham Food Walks, which turns students’ unused meals from their prepaid plans into sandwich donations for nonprofit Part of the Solution (POTS), which has a location down the street from campus. During the Bronx Times’ visit in October, the students donated nearly 800 sandwiches — and they repeat the effort each week.
