On Wednesday, May 3^rd the Henrik Lundqvist Foundation Young Ambassadors (HLFYAs) joined an interactive zoom and met with representatives from the Food Bank for New York City (FBNYC) for FBNYC’s Virtual Hunger Simulation. HLFYAs were able to gain a better understanding of the severity of hunger and the challenges in overcoming it. Through interactive roleplaying activities, Young Ambassadors experienced why so many in our community have difficulty accessing the programs that were created to eliminate hunger.

Each of the Young Ambassadors were given an identity that they would assume and were tasked to buy food for themselves and their families within their budget. The Young Ambassadors had to manage their time and budget wisely and persist through different setbacks such as price surges that limited the amount of food they could get. This experience gave Ambassadors insight into the difficulties that people face when trying to buy food.

Following this interactive zoom, on Saturday, May 20^th Ambassadors had an opportunity to volunteer at a FBNYC mobile food pantry in Lehman Village. FBNYC Mobile Pantries follow a client choice–style pantry model, where clients can select groceries that are the best fit for their families, focusing on fresh produce and shelf–stable items. FBNYC and HLF helped distribute food to over 200 families in the community by assisting with set up, managing the line and engaging with community members. At the event, ambassadors worked at multiple stations where they assisted clients with their food selections and helped load it in their bags. Henric Lundqvist made a special appearance at this event and helped distribute meat and produce to the clients as well as speaking with numerous community members and HLFYAs.

Despite the rain, the event had great energy and was a very positive experience for everyone involved.

Written by 2023 HLFYA Connor Wolfe