grantee spotlight
Addressing the Intersection of Health and Hunger in New York
Addressing Food Insecurity and Creating Better Outcomes through Services across New York State
Across New York State, 1 in 10 households are suffering from food insecurity, and in New York City, food pantries have served 53% more meals in the first nine months of 2023 compared to this time last year. Increasing food costs, delayed SNAP benefits and the ongoing migrant crisis are all contributing to a rise in hunger.
While it’s vital that immediate hunger needs are met, nonprofit organizations are also working to address the broader impacts of hunger on a person’s health and well-being. Research shows that limited access to nutritious meals can have serious implications on a child’s physical and mental health, academic achievement and future economic prosperity. People who are food insecure are also at greater risk of diet-sensitive chronic diseases, such as diabetes and high blood pressure.
Our grantees each take a unique approach in creating long-term solutions and quickly adapting to meet the needs of New York’s underserved communities.
Based in Rochester, Foodlink directly addresses both the symptoms and root causes of food insecurity across a 10-county region by providing food support alongside health and wealth-building programming. The organization provides over a million healthy meals for students annually, distributed 20.11 million pounds of food in the last year, and beyond food assistance, hosts community-based education programs that empower people to make healthy choices. Foodlink also works to drive change through career empowerment initiatives that give participants a pathway to a career and living wage, as well as advocate for a more fair and just food system.
God’s Love We Deliver, a New York City-based nonprofit that cooks and home-delivers nutritious meals to New Yorkers living with and affected by severe and chronic illness, started in 1985 as a response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Since then, they have expanded address more than 200+ individual diagnoses, and this year they will cook and home-deliver more than 4 million meals to more than 13,000 individuals. All services are provided free to clients and full of love. With the support of the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, the organization is expanding its medically tailored meals program to improve the health and well-being of people living with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other serious illnesses by alleviating hunger and malnutrition.
Oftentimes, New York’s homebound elderly are the most impacted by emergencies such as extreme weather, public health crises and poor air quality. To ensure they’re receiving the necessary care and nutrition, Citymeals on Wheels adapted its operations to increase food delivery services with nonperishable items. With a greater number of deliveries, older New Yorkers feel better prepared..
Statewide, food insecurity affects New Yorkers in ways we don’t often see. We’re honored to support organizations with a holistic view of public health and an unwavering commitment to their community.
To learn more about these organizations and how to volunteer, please visit: