City Harvest NYC pioneered the food rescue movement, making sure everyone in NYC has access to fresh, nutritious food. Through relationships with farms, grocers, restaurants, and manufacturers, City Harvest collects nutritious food that would otherwise go to waste. It is delivered free of charge to 500 soup kitchens, food pantries, and other community food programs across the five boroughs. In addition to helping meet the immediate need for food, City Harvest developed long-term Healthy Neighbourhoods programs which partner with low-income communities to increase access to fresh produce and help residents shop for, and cook, nutritious budget-conscious meals.
City Harvest NYC has always stepped up to feed New Yorkers, particularly in times of great need. Before the COVID-19 pandemic they were helping to feed the nearly 1.4 million New Yorkers struggling to put meals on their tables. To meet the unprecedented and still escalating need during the COVID-19 crisis they have scaled up their operations significantly, rescuing and delivering nearly 180 million pounds of free nutritious food to New Yorkers through their community partners, food pantries, soup kitchens and their own Mobile Markets. This is 61% more food than during the same period last year. They continue to maintain their scheduled routes and Mobile Markets and have added 26 Emergency Food Distribution Sites in high-need neighbourhoods. The donation from the Scheinberg Relief Fund has helped City Harvest to respond to the increasing and unprecedented need for food in 2020.