COVID-19 FOOD RELIEF
This IS NOT FOREVER it is just right now.
Since June 2020, growingSOUL and our partners have distributed over 750,000 food boxes to feed more than 3M people.
YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
As part of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, the USDA exercised authority under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act to purchase and distribute agricultural products to those in need, partnering with national, regional and local distributors whose workforces have been significantly impacted by the closure of restaurants, hotels and other food service businesses. The initiative purchased up to $4.5 billion in fresh produce, dairy and meat products from American producers of all sizes.
One of the advantages of being a nimble non-profit with long-standing relationships across the food and community chains, in June 2020, The growingSOUL Collaborative, expanded from the Mid-Atlantic to include New York's Queens, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Staten Island and Long Island. The Collaborative focuses on feeding marginalized communities most impacted by Covid-19, pivoting to serve those living in the initial epicenter of the virus and its economic fallout.
32 pound boxes of fresh produce, dairy and meat were delivered through this Collaborative to the Mid-Atlantic and NYC as a "Last Mile Delivery" partner for the USDA Farmers to Families Food Box program. Since June 2020, growingSOUL organized 778 refrigerated truck deliveries from 6 vendors while sharing out over 750,000 fresh food boxes and distributing over 23 million pounds of food to feed over 3 million of our neighbors in need.
We are very proud of our Pandemic Response Collaborations. We received the City of NY Mayoral Service Recognition Award and many of our Collaborative partners continue to feed their neighbors in need with your support.
Food insecurity in the United States is dire.
In December 2020, D.C., Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia had upwards of 2 million people struggling with hunger. In New York City alone, an estimated 1.5 million are food insecure, not knowing where their next meal will come from. These numbers are increasing by the day and severity of the pandemic and economic crisis.