City Harvest, Daily News Kick Off NYC’s Largest Food Drive

On Tuesday, October 20, City Harvest, New York City’s largest food organization, will team up with the Daily News to kick off the 38th Annual Daily News Food Drive, which will run through January 22, 2021. To aid accessibility amid the pandemic, the city’s largest food drive will feature a virtual component for the first time, providing participants with even more opportunities to reach this year’s goal of collecting one million pounds of food as New Yorkers continue to contend with the devastating economic impacts of COVID-19.

"The Daily News Food Drive has always been crucial to City Harvest’s year-round work of helping to feed New Yorkers struggling to put food on their tables,” said Ellen Granger, Manager, Donor Relations and Supply Chain. “This year, as City Harvest continues to ramp up our operations to meet the surging need for food due to the COVID-19 crisis, this drive is even more critical. We are excited to partner once again with the Daily News and encourage New Yorkers to donate food to help those in need during the busy holiday season.”

“The Daily News is dedicated to serving the community and we are proud to continue our support of the City Harvest food drive. This year more than ever, New Yorker’s are struggling to put food on their table. This annual food drive will ensure that we can make a difference to those in need.” Robert York, Editor-in-Chief, Daily News

Those interested in participating in the Daily News Food Drive can run their own food drive within their communities. At the end of their drive, a City Harvest truck can come pick up the collected items, or participants can drop off non-perishable food donations at FDNY firehouses, NYPD precincts, or select State Farm locations. The most needed items for the drive include canned fruit, canned vegetables, canned proteins (tuna or beans), peanut butter (plastic jars), macaroni and cheese (packaged), hot and cold cereal (packaged, family-sized), soups, and juice packs.

Those interested in virtual alternatives to a traditional food drive can also give back by running a City Harvest food drive on #GiveHealthy, a digital platform that will allow donors to purchase food to be delivered directly to City Harvest’s Food Rescue Facility. Financial contributions also go a long way–just $20 can help feed 11 New Yorkers for a week–and can be made on City Harvest’s website.

“We developed #GiveHealthy to make it easy for groups to run food drives that raise fresh fruits, fresh vegetables and other healthy food items,” said Pat O’Neill, CEO of #GiveHealthy. “We’re thrilled to partner with City Harvest and The Daily News to provide a way for organizations operating remotely, particularly schools and businesses, to support this year’s annual drive.”

The 38th Annual Daily News Food Drive is made possible in part by generous sponsors Ark Foods, Blue Apron, Chobani, GoGo squeeZ, Goya, and Macmillan Publishing, who have all come together to help feed those in need across the five boroughs.

For more information and tips on getting your food drive started, visit cityharvest.org/dailynews or call 646-277-7800.