HLF will continue to support the Food Bank for New York City in the 2024/24 school year with another $50,000 grant that will be allocated equally between the Campus and Mobile Pantry Program.
Campus Pantry
Food Bank’s Campus Pantry program is designed to address child hunger by establishing food pantries onsite at K-12 schools to provide nutritious food to children and their families. Food Bank partners with each participating school to establish a pantry, complete with food, storage equipment, and the necessary tools, training and administrative support to distribute food on-site. Food Bank provides a variety of items from each food group including grains, vegetables, fruits, proteins, and dairy.
Food Bank also offers a comprehensive system of supports to assist staff at partnering Campus Pantry sites. They train partner sites on everything they need to know to successfully operate apantry including signing a contract/partnership agreement with Food Bank, using our online ordering system, food safety and storage, pantry management and inventory, guidance around communication and outreach to the community, how to set up a food distribution system, reporting requirements, and introduction to additional resources they provide such as connections to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) program and other benefits for families.
Mobile Pantry
Food Bank launched their Mobile Pantry program in 2021, in response to the need to fill gaps in New York City’s food assistance network. Mobile Pantry deploys Food Bank trucks outfitted with all the materials needed to conduct outdoor distributions of healthy, nutritious food. Families are provided seasonal fresh produce, shelf-stable items, and frozen protein options. With an emphasis on fresh produce, Mobile Pantry is designed to address both hunger and inadequate nutrition. The Mobile Pantries follow a client choice pantry model, where clients select groceries that are the best fit for their families, focusing on fresh produce and shelf-stable items.
At select Mobile Pantry distributions, Food Bank’s Nutrition Education team may conduct food preparation demonstrations on how to cook healthy dishes from the food included in pantry bags. Mobile Pantry also serves as an entry point for community members to enroll in the SNAP benefits program. They seek to create a communal atmosphere at Mobile Pantries, providing additional services alongside our food distributions such as personal hygiene products like shampoo, soap, and toothpaste, winter coat drives and book distributions.
Service Learning Events with the HLF Young Ambassadors
Food Bank also partners with HLF’s Young Ambassador Program and offers service learning events. On May 18th they hosted a Mobile Pantry Volunteer Event at Lehman Village in Manhattan and yearly also offer a Virtual Hunger Simulation Event.
Overall, the proposed $50,000 grant from the Henrik Lundqvist Foundation is expected to provide more than 28,000 meals to 400 children and families.
Bronx, Campus Pantry, Food Bank for New York City, Pugsley Preparatory Academy
