New York, NY (June 20 2005) — Food Bank For New York City — in partnership with the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty and other city hunger relief organizations — is holding NYC’s first policy summit focusing on eradicating hunger throughout the five boroughs. Elected officials from federal, state and local levels, along with community leaders, representatives from the city’s 1,200 community food programs and those receiving such services are taking part in this all day conference.
This marks the first time in New York City history that the city’s most influential social service and government groups will come together to address the city’s devastating hunger problem; with special emphasis on Food Bank’s NYC Hunger Safety Net 2004: Measuring Gaps in Food Assistance. This report found that more than 2 million people in New York City are at risk of hunger. Collectively those involved in the summit will develop strategies to strengthen local borough-based responses to hunger while collaborating on broader policy issues to end hunger. During today’s Hunger Summit, each of the five boroughs will officially launch their Borough Hunger Task Forces; from which they will continue to work on an ongoing basis to implement strategies outlined and discussed.
Hunger is a devastating problem in New York City with more than two million residents at risk of going hungry. Food Bank is the city’s major supplier of food to over 1,200 community food programs throughout the five boroughs. In addition to providing food, Food Bank offers agencies ongoing support, services and education; and regularly conducts nutrition and food safety education workshops. These serve to provide a variety of tools and publications to enable them to strengthen their programs. As a resource center for member food programs, legislators, the media and the public, Food Bank regularly conducts research about hunger in New York City and plays an active role in public policy issues at the city, state and national levels.