FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 12, 2019

Three New Mission-Focused Leaders Join Food Bank For New York City’s Board of Directors To Help End Hunger Across the Five Boroughs

New York, NY — Food Bank For New York City announced today that Margaret Anadu, head of Goldman Sachs’ Urban Investment Group, George Garfunkel, Managing Director of First Manhattan Co., and award-winning actress, producer and director, Kyra Sedgwick have joined the organization’s Board of Directors.  Made up of individuals from a wide range of sectors, Food Bank For New York City’s Board of Directors shares a common belief that hunger is solvable. Each year, an estimated 1 in 5 New Yorkers turns to the city’s emergency food network and leadership from every community is vital to meet this need.

“We are so thrilled to welcome Margaret, George and Kyra to our Board of Directors,” said Seraina Macia, Board Chair. “Every day Food Bank targets and serves need where it lives. Leadership is vital to our mission and having access to resourceful and dedicated New Yorkers is key to our mission’s success.”

Today’s announcement comes at a time when the organization is calling on all New Yorkers to “Go Orange” for Hunger Action Month, and urging people to raise awareness about food insecurity facing New York City. “To be the Food Bank FOR New York City, we need a diverse group of leaders able and willing to see the many needs caused by poverty and vulnerability and then step up to the plate and help in the service of their neighbors,” said Margarette Purvis, President & CEO of Food Bank For New York City. “Food Bank counts on many New Yorkers to realize success and impact. We’re confident that Margaret, George and Kyra will help even more New Yorkers find their place in our mission’s work, allowing Food Bank to serve as long as we’re needed.”

Each board member brings their own reasons for serving Food Bank as a leader. “Food Bank’s mission to help New Yorkers in need is more important than ever,” said Margaret Anadu. “I am excited to continue my support of this vital organization as we provide assistance to the 1.5 million New Yorkers who rely on food pantries and soup kitchens.”

“Through years of supporting various programs at Food Bank For New York City, I’ve grown to know members of the senior staff and board quite well,” said George Garfunkel. “I look forward to now being part of this motivated group.”

“We live in one of the richest cities in the country and yet thousands of our fellow New Yorkers go hungry every day,” said Kyra Sedgwick.  “For many, Food Bank is the one meal they get in a 24-hour period. As a born and raised New Yorker I feel responsible for being part of the solution in mitigating hunger in my hometown; Food Bank is a big part of that solution.”

Margaret Chinwe Anadu is the head of Goldman Sachs’ Urban Investment Group (UIG) where she leads the bank’s work to support underserved communities across the country. The UIG is a domestic, multi-asset class investing and lending business that sits within the Consumer & Commercial Banking Division (CCBD) and has committed more than $7 billion to local leaders and nonprofits for projects to create affordable housing, quality education and healthcare, and growth capital for social enterprises and small businesses. Ms. Anadu is the recipient of the Most Influential People of African Descent Under 40 award, the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice Leadership Award, and an honoree of the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation. In addition to her service on the Board of Directors at Food Bank For New York City, Ms. Anadu serves on the board of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation, Center for an Urban Future and Core Innovation Capital.

George Garfunkel is Managing Director at First Manhattan Co., responsible for new business development and working with clients on taxes and financial planning. Before joining First Manhattan Co. in 2002, Mr. Garfunkel practiced law for 40 years and founded one of the largest health care law firms in the city. Mr. Garfunkel and his wife, Sandy, are regular volunteers at Food Bank For New York City’s Community Kitchen in Harlem.  In addition to his support of Food Bank For New York City, Mr. Garfunkel serves on the board of Public Health Solutions and is a trustee of the American Jewish Historical Society in New York and the Town of Palm Beach United Way in Florida.

Kyra Sedgwick is an award-winning actress, producer and Director. She is known for a broad portfolio including her starring role as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson on the TNT crime drama The Closer. In 2018, Sedgwick received a DGA nomination for her directorial debut with the feature STORY OF A GIRL, the film premiered last summer at the LA Film Festival and Edinburgh Film Festival followed by its TV premiere on Lifetime.  Her film roles include Something to Talk About (1995), Oliver Stone’s Born on the Fourth of July (1989), Cameron Crowe’s Singles (1992), Heart and Souls (1992), Phenomenon (1996), What’s Cooking (2000), Secondhand Lions (2003), The Game Plan (2007), and The Possession (2012). She also has one of the starring roles in the critically acclaimed 2016 comedy-drama movie The Edge of Seventeen. Sedgwick is also known for her recurring role as Madeline Wuntch on the successful sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

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About Food Bank For New York City

For 36 years, 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 provides food for more than 61 million free meals per 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 more than $110 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).

Contact: Jennifer Barden, Jennifer@risaheller.com, (646) 676-4486