October 9, 2007

Please, Pack on the Pounds

Food Bank for New York City Needs Your Help

Think your stomach is rumbling?

Imagine how a food storage facility echoes when it’s running on empty.

Food Bank for New York City provides hungry New Yorkers with hundreds of thousands of free meals every day, coordinating and distributing food to more than 1,000 nonprofits throughout the five boroughs. But it’s looking a little thin at the moment.

The facility normally stocks seven to eight million pounds of nutritious ingredients, but a recent decrease in federal funding has left the Bronx warehouse with just three million.

And it’s only the beginning of holiday season — when pantries, shelters, soup kitchens, and daycare and outreach centers are bustling with people looking for a hearty meal and a place to stay warm.

Take a bite: They need food donations (from individuals or corporations), volunteers, community partners, and cash.

To help the cause, DailyCandy is coordinating a virtual food drive that all readers can join (one dollar equals five meals). Or just start one of your own. You can Go Orange (the color of hunger awareness) by donating directly, then rocking the colorful button.

Thanks. We know you’ve already got a lot on your plate. It will be nice when everyone else does, too.

Available online at foodbanknyc.org. Join DailyCandy’s virtual food drive.