Food Bank For New York City’s HungerMitao Hosted Its First “Evening of Gratitude and Awards”
Food Bank’s volunteers were honored for their work helping New York’s families in need
NEW YORK – Food Bank For New York City’s HungerMitao celebrated volunteers and mobilized the Indian American community last week during its “Evening of Gratitude and Awards”. Community leaders and volunteers were joined by the Honorable Consul General Randhir Jaiswal, Bollywood star Omi Vaidya, and Virtual Arts for Humanity for a night of celebration and advocacy.
The awardees were honored for their commitment and efforts through HungerMitao to end hunger in New York. Aaliya Malhotra and Ria Laddha were celebrated as Young Changemakers and Rakesh Bhargava for being a true Ambassador. The HungerMitao Spirit of the Community Award across the Feeding America network went to Indiaspora.
Food Bank’s HungerMitao was created to mobilize New York’s Indian American community around its mission to end hunger, from raising awareness to providing meals for those in need. Since its inception, HungerMitao has helped Food Bank distribute more than 4 million meals to New York’s low-income families.
“We are grateful to everyone who has joined us in the fight against hunger – from community leaders to the volunteers honored by HungerMitao,” said Leslie Gordon, President and CEO of Food Bank For New York City. “HungerMitao has brought the Indian American community together around this important issue and helped millions of New Yorkers put food on the table. As our city continues to struggle amidst COVID-19, our communities must unite to help those in need.”
With the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic putting many people out of work and rapidly increasing the need for assistance, the demand on the emergency food network has surged. Food Bank For New York City reports that the vast majority of soup kitchens and food pantries have been serving more New Yorkers during the pandemic than they were previously: many agencies have seen their number of visitors double. Even before COVID-19, the demand for food was already high: nearly 1.1 million New Yorkers were already food insecure.
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About Food Bank For New York City: Since 1983, Food Bank For New York City has been the city’s major hunger-relief organization working to end hunger throughout the five boroughs. Nearly one in five New Yorkers relies on Food Bank for food and other resources. Food Bank takes a strategic, multifaceted approach that provides meals and builds capacity in the neediest communities, while raising awareness and engagement among all New Yorkers. Through its network of more than 1,000 charities and schools citywide, Food Bank provided more than 80 million free meals last year for New Yorkers in need. Food Bank For New York City’s income support services, including food stamps (also known as SNAP) and free tax assistance for the working poor, put nearly $36 million each year into the pockets of New Yorkers, helping them to afford food and achieve greater dignity and independence. Food Bank’s nutrition education programs and services empower more than 50,000 children, teens and adults to sustain a healthy diet and active lifestyle on a limited budget. Working toward long-term solutions to food poverty, Food Bank develops policy and conducts research to inform community and government efforts. To learn more about how you can help, please visit foodbanknyc.org. Follow us on Facebook (FoodBank4NYC), Twitter (@FoodBank4NYC) and Instagram (FoodBank4NYC).
About HungerMitao: HungerMitao is a volunteer-driven grassroots movement focused on raising awareness about hunger in the USA, improving community engagement, as well as channeling resources and contributions of the Indian American community to fight hunger through the Feeding America network of food banks. Over the three years since its launch, the movement has enabled over 30 million meals through Feeding America and Food Banks in North Texas, Houston, New York City, Atlanta, and Seattle. Learn more at HungerMitao.org