Stop & Shop Donates Over $170,000 to Food Bank For New York City

Stop & Shop donated a check for over $170,000 to the Food Bank For New York City at their Mobile Pantry distribution at Queens Public Library in Ozone Park. Stop & Shop associates also volunteered at the Mobile Pantry, handing out nutritious food to community members. Stop & Shop’s number one charitable effort is to fight hunger across its region and was honored to donate over $170,000 to FBNYC to support its work to empower every New Yorker to achieve food security for good. The donation is part of a larger $2.4 million donation from Stop & Shop to eight Feeding America food banks across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut to support programs that fight against food insecurity

The donation from Stop & Shop came from a combination of its in-store ‘Food for Friends’ campaign, which ran from May 5th to June 4th, and the Stop & Shop Family Foundation. $45,000 was raised through the ‘Food for Friends’ campaign and $125,000 was donated from the Stop & Shop Family Foundation to support FBNYC’s Mobile Pantry and Youth Engagement Community Food Pantry programs.

FBNYC's Mobile Pantry program puts its mission on wheels, deploying Food Bank trucks across all five boroughs to 16 sites, targeting gaps in their network where food assistance programs have closed, do not exist, or simply need more capacity to serve the long lines in their neighborhoods. Each monthly outdoor Mobile Pantry distribution can provide up to 300 families with a week’s worth of healthy, nutritious food through a client choice model, a structure that aims to reflect a shopping experience.

FBNYC’s Youth Engagement Community Food Pantry program embeds full-scale pantries in community-based organizations in Upper Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx, extending the impact of food distribution efforts to the children and families these organizations serve to create a direct channel to food resources for community members in neighborhoods facing high levels of food insecurity.

“As a major grocery retailer serving New York City, we have seen firsthand how food insecurity and a lack of access to fresh and healthy food can negatively impact our community members,” said Gordon Reid, President at Stop & Shop. “We are proud to donate over $170,000 to the Food Bank for New York City in an effort to help our neighbors fight against hunger, gain more access to fresh fruits and vegetables, and live their absolute best lives.”

According to the USDA, more than 38 million people, including 12 million children, in the United States are food insecure. One-in-four children in New York City are experiencing food insecurity, a 46% increase over pre-pandemic levels. Food Bank For New York City’s food distribution program provides more than 121 million free meals per year for New Yorkers in need. Additionally, the food bank’s nutrition education programs and services empower nearly 9,000 children and families to sustain a healthy diet on a limited budget.

FBNYC receives very little government support and relies on the generosity of organizations like Stop & Shop. Stop & Shop’s Meat the Needs, ‘Food for Friends’ campaign, Annual Turkey Express Program, Stop & Shop Family Foundation donation, School Food Pantry Program, and direct support are a few of the many ways the company supports anti-hunger organizations in the communities it serves.

“We are committed to ensuring that all of our neighbors – no matter who they are or where they come from – are empowered to achieve food security for good,” said Leslie Gordon, Food Bank For New York City President & CEO. “Community by community, we work together with longtime partners like our friends at Stop & Shop to make progress on a more hopeful, dignified, and equitable future for all.”

The donation of over $170,000 will enable FBNYC to better serve the community members across all five boroughs. To learn more about Stop & Shop’s community support; visit: https://stopandshop.com/pages/our-purpose.