Each year, Food Bank honors Dr. King’s legacy by hosting a day of service, and engaging friends and partners in meaningful service projects that build resiliency in high-need communities.
This day of service will focus on Central Harlem, the neighborhood with the highest meal gap in Manhattan, and mark the beginning of a larger Harlem-focused engagement plan launching this year. More than 29% of Central Harlem residents struggle with food insecurity and 25% rely on SNAP benefits. Food Bank’s strategically located Community Kitchen & Food Pantry in Harlem helps long-term residents afford to stay in the neighborhood.
Volunteers will use Food Bank’s kitchen as a hub to prepare meals for distribution to food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters in the surrounding neighborhood, to help bolster the ability of these local charities to serve the community. Food Bank’s “Orange Army” of volunteers will also be deployed throughout the neighborhood to share vital information on services like SNAP and tax assistance, while other volunteers offer on-site SNAP enrollments from Food Bank’s mobile benefits truck. SNAP is our nation’s first line of defense against hunger and it is essential for keeping New Yorkers off emergency food lines.
To honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Food Bank For New York City will host a day of service, “Done in a Day for MLK—To Harlem with Love.” More than 200 volunteers will gather at Food Bank’s Community Kitchen & Food Pantry to help build the capacity of Harlem’s emergency food network by preparing 1,500 meals for distribution to neighborhood food pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters for people experiencing homelessness and survivors of domestic violence. Food Bank’s “Orange Army” of volunteers will be deployed to visit businesses and community centers to distribute information on nutrition and tax assistance programs. Volunteers will enroll eligible residents in SNAP (formerly known as food stamps) via Food Bank’s mobile benefits truck.
Participants include:
- Margarette Purvis, President and CEO, Food Bank For New York City
- Representatives from local Harlem charities
- More than 200 volunteers – Food Bank’s “Orange Army”
- Harlem community members and residents who use Food Bank’s Community Kitchen & Food Pantry
Monday, January 15th, 11:00 a.m.
Food Bank For New York City’s Community Kitchen & Food Pantry, 252 W 116th St., New York City
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