Feeding the Boroughs
The aftermath of Sandy left the five boroughs in destruction and found many individuals yearning to lend a hand to salvage and rebuild their communities. Experiencing a surge of this myself, I applied to several of the programs on the New York City service website. After an incredibly hard time finding places that were not already at their volunteer capacity, an organization named City Harvest was the first one that replied to me. The center that needed the most help happened to be conveniently located a few minutes from my apartment in Long Island City, so I jumped at the opportunity.
With several locations throughout the city and a main corporate office located in Flatiron on 32nd Street, City Harvest is thriving. It’s an organization whose mission is to provide food to the millions of hungry citizens of New York City and the surrounding boroughs. Collecting excess food from grocery stores, restaurants and farms, City Harvest delivers free food to community food programs located in the city, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island. The organization boasts that 91 percent of their funds go directly to their program work. These funds are obtained mostly by donation from private foundations, individuals, or corporations.
Finding a New York resident who has had a volunteer experience who possesses any negative comments is a near impossible task. Long-time volunteer Rachel Bell, a lower east side resident who moved to New York City just a year ago, shares a bit about her experience. “Working at City Harvest was an eye-opening experience. So often in this city you become insensitive to the homeless and less fortunate because they are everywhere, but working with City Harvest shed light on those that are living a daily struggle just to eat a meal.”
The organization has made astronomical progress since they were first established in 1982. In their first month of operation, City Harvest helped serve an estimated 50 emergency community food programs and that number has now grown to 600. Rescuing an astounding 115,000 pounds of food each day, the need for more than just regular volunteers is evident. Aside from a volunteer base of over 2,000, City Harvest employs about a hundred regular staff members.
The organization’s assistant manager of volunteer services Brittany Erdman is in charge of recruiting volunteers for many of the locations. She sends out weekly e-mails to those who have expressed interest in volunteering, and although she declined to comment on most of the topics she was interviewed about, she did mention that those e-mails have increased in frequency since Hurricane Sandy.
The program also places an emphasis on providing knowledge to low-income New York City citizens regarding maintaining a nutritious lifestyle. Dietary experts focus their efforts on spreading information relating to healthy diets and FDA portion regulations. Nutritious foods can easily become expensive, so City Harvest aids individuals who are struggling to acquire these items (which are often produce) at cheaper prices.
In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, City Harvest reached out for hundreds more volunteers then they normally need. Participating in various steps of the operation, many New York residents found a way to help by connecting with the organization through Erdman and her e-mails. Volunteers from all over came together to help pack and back nonperishable items for other volunteers to distribute throughout the most needed areas. According to their website, City Harvest has a fleet of trucks and bikes that allow them to deliver food seven days a week.
A Brooklyn resident and first-time volunteer who found City Harvest after Sandy, Kyrie Borken, describes her experience as, “the first thing I’ve done as a New Yorker that actually made me feel like I’m making a difference.”