Dear Friends,
As we prepare to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday with our families this year, there are more than 1 million New Yorkers struggling to put food on the table each and every day. With unemployment and poverty on the rise, hunger levels in New York are at their highest levels in recent history. Throughout the five boroughs, approximately 1.3 million people -- mainly women, children, seniors, the working poor and people with disabilities -- rely on soup kitchens and food pantries. 1.8 million New Yorkers rely on food stamps.
We all have the power to help those in need. Here are three easy ways that you can take action right now:
(1) Donate to a local food drive
The Public Advocate's office is proud to be a partner -- and drop-off location -- for the Hispanic Federation's Thanksgiving Food Drive, which supports food pantries across NYC. You can bring your non-perishable canned and packaged goods to the Public Advocate's office at 1 Centre Street, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10007 during business hours. For more information on other pick-up spots, visit http://bit.ly/nyc-food-drive
(2) Volunteer at a food pantry or soup kitchen
Volunteers are needed on a year-round basis at food pantries and soup kitchens in all five boroughs. To sign up, visit the Food Bank For New York City's website at: http://www.foodbanknyc.org/how-you-can-help/volunteer or you can use the NYC Coalition Against Hunger's Volunteer Matching System on their website at: http://www.nyccah.org/get-involved/volunteer
(3) Make a financial donation to a charity fighting hunger
While food drives and volunteer support are essential to the operation of food pantries and soup kitchens, financial donations can often have the greatest impact as they provide these charities with the flexibility to direct resources where they are needed most. Here's a partial list compiled by New York Magazine of some of the many charities working to fight hunger and homelessness in New York City: http://nymag.com/urban/articles/charityguide/homeless.htm
On behalf of Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and the staff at the Public Advocate's office, we wish you and your family a wonderful week and Thanksgiving holiday.
Sincerely,
Jeff S. Merritt
Senior Advisor
NYC Public Advocate Bill de Blasio