City Harvest (United States) facts for kids

City Harvest is one of New York City's biggest groups that "rescues" food. They collect extra food from places like restaurants, bakeries, and cafes. This food would otherwise be thrown away.

What is City Harvest?

City Harvest started in 1982. It was the world's first group to "rescue" food. Their main goal is to fight hunger and stop food waste in New York City. They collect extra food from places like restaurants, grocery stores, bakeries, and farms.

After gathering the food, City Harvest gives it to many food programs. These programs help about 1 million people in the city who don't always have enough to eat. By using this extra food, City Harvest helps reduce waste. They make sure valuable food goes to those who need it most.

The group was founded by Helen verDuin Palit, Harley Brooke-Hitching, and Peter Schmidt. About 160 employees and 20,000 volunteers help out each year. More than half of the food they rescue is fresh fruits and vegetables.

How City Harvest Helps Communities

In 2005, City Harvest began holding free farmers' market-style events. These events happen twice a month in neighborhoods that need help. Now, they have nine Mobile Markets each month. These markets give out about three million pounds of fresh produce every year. In 2013 alone, these markets delivered about one million pounds of produce. This helped 50,000 residents get healthy food.

In December 2011, City Harvest opened a large Food Rescue Facility. It is located in Long Island City, Queens. This building has big coolers and freezers for food that spoils quickly. It also has a large dry area to sort non-perishable items.

City Harvest also hosts fun yearly events. These include the City Harvest Gala, Summer in the City, and BID.

Who Leads City Harvest?

City Harvest has a special group called the Food Council. It has more than 70 members. The current leader of the Food Council is Geoffrey Zakarian. Some of the first members of this council included:

• Éric Ripert
• Dana Cowin
• Michael Lomonaco
• Danny Meyer
• Drew Nieporent

The Food Council has grown to include many other famous chefs and food experts, such as:

• Ron Ben-Israel
• David Chang
• Tom Colicchio
• Marc Murphy
• Marcus Samuelsson
• Gail Simmons
• Jean-Georges Vongerichten
• Eitan Bernath

City Harvest Programs

Since 2006, the Healthy Neighborhoods program has helped people get more fresh produce. It also teaches them about healthy eating. These programs focus on communities across New York City that need the most help.

Helping Emergency Food Programs

City Harvest delivers over 10 million pounds of food every year to emergency food programs. About 60% of this food is fresh produce. This helps soup kitchens and food pantries offer many different kinds of food.

Through a program called ACE (Agency Capacity Expansion), City Harvest gives money to food programs. This helps them improve their facilities and services. Also, City Harvest University teaches these agencies important skills.

Learning About Healthy Eating

City Harvest offers workshops called Cooking Matters. These workshops teach people of all ages how to eat healthy. They also show how to find healthy foods that fit a budget.

City Harvest also has special nutrition classes for older adults with lower incomes.

A City Harvest volunteer leads a Healthy Neighborhoods workshop on how to buy produce on a budget.

Making Food Easy to Get

City Harvest works with people and groups in communities. They partner with after-school programs and businesses. Their goal is to encourage healthy eating habits. One way they do this is by working with local stores. They help stores offer more and better fresh produce.

City Harvest also shows people how to cook healthy meals. They teach workshops on how to shop for food without spending too much. These efforts help store owners and customers understand each other better. This makes it easier to find and choose healthy foods.

To make these changes last, City Harvest helps create Community Action Networks (CANs). These networks are in each Healthy Neighborhood. They bring together residents and store owners who want to improve access to healthy food. This way, City Harvest gets community support for its work. This leads to lasting positive changes.

Speaking Up for Change

City Harvest also works to change policies at the city, state, and national levels. They want to fix the reasons why people don't have enough food. City Harvest also helps New Yorkers with lower incomes get access to federal food programs. They also connect them with local food supplies.

Awards and Recognition

City Harvest has received many awards for its important work:

• In 1989, City Harvest founder Helen verDuin Palit received an award from President George H. W. Bush. This was part of his 1,000 Points of Light program.
• In 2003, Executive Director Julia Erickson was named Humanitarian of the Year. This was for City Harvest's help after 9/11. They supported recovery workers at Ground Zero.
• In 2008, Charity Navigator gave City Harvest a top rating of 4 stars.
• In 2009, the Robin Hood Foundation gave City Harvest a $400,000 grant. They recognized how well City Harvest rescues food.
• In 2010, Executive Director Jilly Stephens was honored by the ABNY (Association for a Better New York). She was recognized for her great service to New York City.
• In 2011, City Harvest won the Silver Prize for Excellent Management. This was from The New York Times Company’s Nonprofit Excellence Awards.

Images for kids

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  City Harvest's Executive Director Jilly Stephens (center) at an event with members of the Food Council.

See also

• List of food banks