SOURCE: Morillo, Elly. “‘Service before self.’ Food Bank for NYC tackles food insecurity, helps veterans across the city” News12 Brooklyn, Nov. 7, 2023.
Did you know veterans experience double the rate of food insecurity than the national average?
With over 800+ food pantries across New York City’s five boroughs, 11 of which specifically supporting our veterans, Food Bank For NYC is dedicated to serving veterans all year round.
As Veterans Day quickly approaches, News12 Brooklyn interviewed our very own Kwadwo, a 20-year Army veteran who now works at the Hunts Point Warehouse in the Bronx, to highlight how local veterans are giving back to their community.
As a native New Yorker and Bronx resident, he says that joining Food Bank For New York City has given him a renewed sense of purpose by “doing something not just for the country, but for my community.”
“Even when we deliver food and we drive up to the pantries, just the reaction on people’s faces – you know, the embracing. Sometimes they even give us hugs, which is totally out of the norm, especially for New Yorkers,” Kwadwo tells News12.
News12 also spoke with our Associate Director of Operations Ronald Olaizoia, who shed a light on how Food Bank’s mission resonates with his core values as an Air Force veteran.
“Putting service before self is one of the core values in the Air Force, and that’s something that we do here, you know, providing services, providing impact. Making sure we’re putting our organization in the right places to provide,” Ronald said.
Watch Kwadwo and Ronald’s interview with News12 Brooklyn to catch the full story.
About Food Bank
In 1983, a group of fearless New Yorkers came together with one goal: to empower every New Yorker to achieve food security for good. Their vision gave birth to a movement, and today, the passion and generosity of New Yorkers like you continue to power the Food Bank For New York City. We provide food and resources to a network of more than 800 food pantries, soup kitchens, and campus partners across the five boroughs. We invest in them, so they can invest in their communities with nutrition education for our youngest neighbors to specialized programming for our oldest ones.
We collaborate with hospitals, community centers, local, state, and federal government agencies, and basically anyone who is willing to join us in the fight against food insecurity. In addition to providing life-changing food to our neighbors, we also help them build financial security through our Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, one of the nation’s largest free income tax return programs. Last year alone, that volunteer-led work returned over 50 million dollars to the NYC economy! Food Bank has come a long way, and while we have a long way to go before we realize our founding vision, we know how important it is to stop and celebrate the people and partnerships that continue to drive us forward.
Without them, we are just a food bank. With them, we are Food Bank For New York City.