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Our Mission
City Harvest exists to end hunger in communities throughout
NYC. We do this through food rescue and distribution,
education and other practical, innovative solutions.
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How We Started

City Harvest was started in 1981 by ordinary citizens who saw an
opportunity to help feed hungry people.

They gathered volunteers, borrowed cars and vans and transported
the food themselves.

At the time there were only 30 emergency food programs in New
York City. As hunger and poverty increased in New York, City
Harvest grew.

In the past 30 years, this volunteer-based, one van operation has
grown into a sophisticated, professional non-profit leader in the
hunger community.
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How We’ve Grown

This year, City Harvest will rescue over 42 million pounds of
food

We’ve gone from 30 soup kitchens to approximately 600
community food programs throughout the five boroughs

18 trucks and 3 tricycle carts delivering food 24/7

2,200 volunteers

All helping to feed one million New Yorkers that face hunger
each year
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Where Does The Food Come From?

Manufacturers and Wholesalers

Restaurants

Greenmarkets and Farms

Corporate Cafeterias

Supermarkets

Food Drives

Other Non-profits
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What kind of food?

85% of food rescued and
delivered is “nutrient dense”

All food is “food safe” to
pick up and distribute

Most food is produce: fresh
fruits and vegetables

Baked goods, canned
foods, dairy, meat, and
packaged goods
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Where Does The Food Go?

Senior Centers

Soup Kitchens

Women’s Shelters

After School Programs

Homeless Shelters

Synagogues & Churches

Food Pantries
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Expansion of Our Work
City Harvest will build on our achievements as a
pioneering food rescue charity to increase access to the
food and food resources hungry people need to live
healthier lives.
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Need for Fresh Produce
Melrose Mobile Market
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Poverty
DietRelated
Disease
Hunger
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Why Poverty is Connected to Health
1.
Low income neighborhoods lack adequate grocery stores
2.
Nowhere to exercise
3.
Healthy food costs more, and takes more time to prepare
4.
Unhealthy food is cheap and easily accessible
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Resulting in…

Low income neighborhoods are plagued with diet
related diseases:
– Diabetes rates in New York City increased by 250%
between 1997 and 2007;
– Low income families are more than 3 times as likely to
suffer from these types of chronic illnesses; and
– Deaths related to diabetes are 3.3 times higher in low
income neighborhoods than in wealthier neighborhoods.
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City Harvest works to…
Access to
Healthy Food
Demand for
Healthy Food
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Healthy Neighborhoods Evolution
1981
City
Harvest:
NYC
Food
Rescue
2000
Nutrition
Education
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2004
Healthy
Neighborhoods
Identifying Healthy Neighborhoods
Queens CD 1:
Northwest Queens
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Starting out in the Neighborhood
Identify key
partners
•
•
•
•
•
Agencies
Healthy School
Fruit Bowl
Mobile Market
Nutrition Education
Community Food
Assessment
•
•
•
•
Research
Review findings
Make recommendations
Write report
Implementation
• Take recommendations back to community
• Implement programs
• Build partnerships
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Emergency
Food
Retail
Outlets
Mobile
Market
Fruit
Bowl
ACE
Food Access
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FY13 Goals:

Deliver 10.6 Million Pounds

Serve 2.9 Million People
– Mobile Markets
– Agencies
– Fruit Bowl
Emergency
Food
Retail
Outlets

Partner with 40 Retailers

75 Fruit Bowl Sites
Mobile
Market
Fruit
Bowl
ACE
Food Access
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Nut Ed
Courses
Fruit
Bowl
Cooking
Demos
Retail
Outlet
Tours
Education
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FY13 Goals:

Teach 70 Courses, Educate
1,050 People

Conduct 201 Cooking Demos,
Distribute 27,500 samples

Nut Ed
Courses
Cooking
Demos
Fruit
Bowl
Retail
Outlet
Tours
Deliver Fruit to 75 Fruit Bowl
Sites, Educate 6,000 Kids
Education
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Staff/
Volunteers
CFA
Partnerships
Marketing
Resources
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FY13 Goals:

Complete 1 CFA in
Washington Heights

Start Queens neighborhood
Staff/
Volunteers
CFA

Create 5 Retail Networks

Create 5 Community Action
Networks
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Partnerships
Marketing
Resources
Lessons Learned So Far
1.
Relationship building takes time
2.
Neighborhoods are unique
3.
Community engagement is important
4.
Program and messaging must be culturally sensitive
5.
Anchor partners are key
6.
Cross fertilization of programs makes an impact
7.
Consistent presence builds credibility
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Healthy Neighborhood Statistics
Location
Diabetes**
Obesity** Poverty* Food Insecurity***
Demographics of Interest*
South Bronx (CD 1 &4)
13%
32%
43%
26%
63-69% Latino
Staten Island North Shore
12%
32%
17%
12%
60% White, 24% Latino,
25% African American
Bed-Stuy
11%
42%
34%
24%
66% African American
Washington Heights/ Inwood
10%
16%
26%
21%
69% Latino,
53% Foreign born
Northwest Queens
5%
22%
16%
16%
To be determined, but so far even
more diverse!
New York City
10%
23%
20%
16%
NA
National
8%
27%
15%
14.5%
NA
*ACS estimate 2007-2009
**DOHMH 2010, represents all of South Bronx
*** USDA, calculated by looking at multiple
characteristics like income, employment, family make up,
use of emergency food sources, etc.
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City Harvest
www.cityharvest.org
646-412-0600
Carla Kaiser Solis, csolis@cityharvest.org
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