City Harvest, New York City’s largest food rescue organization, and the
Daily News will kick off their
36th Annual Food Drive at
10am on Tuesday, October 23, at the FDNY’s Engine 7/Ladder 1 firehouse located at 104 Duane Street in Manhattan.
The Daily News Food Drive is the largest annual food drive in NYC and
crucial to City Harvest’s efforts to help feed the more than 1.2 million
New Yorkers who struggle to put meals on their tables regularly, and
especially during the holidays. Last year, New
Yorkers donated over one million pounds of non-perishable food.
Daily News Editor-in-Chief Robert York; City Harvest Chief External
Relations Office Gregory Boroff; City Harvest Director of Food Sourcing
Lisa Sposato; FDNY First Deputy Commissioner Laura Kavanagh; and
Inspector Paul Valerga, Commanding Officer of the
NYPD Community Outreach Division will speak at the kickoff event
and urge New Yorkers to collect non-perishable food that will fill City
Harvest’s trucks and keep shelves stocked at food pantries across the
city during the holiday season.
The food drive runs Tuesday, October 23, 2018 through Friday, January 18, 2019.
The most needed items include canned fruit, canned vegetables, peanut
butter (plastic jars), macaroni and cheese (packaged), hot and cold
cereal (packaged, family-sized), and soups. Non-perishable food
donations can be dropped off at NYC Fire Department (FDNY)
firehouses and EMS stations, NYC Police Department (NYPD) precincts,
select New York City Goodwill stores, Apple Bank branches and at the
lobby of City Harvest’s office at 6 East 32nd Street.
Schools, churches, synagogues, and local businesses are invited to run their own drives. Last year,
329 schools collected over
250,000 pounds of food. All participating schools will be entered
in the “Kids Can Help Competition” and the school in each borough that
collects the most food will win a prize courtesy of Macmillan Children’s
Publishing Group. Last year’s winner, P.S.
41 in Manhattan, will also be at this year’s kickoff event
to help load the City Harvest truck with the first food donations of the year’s drive.
Individuals, organizations, and businesses who are interested in donating funds can make direct donations to the
Daily News Virtual Food Drive. One dollar helps City Harvest feed four New Yorkers in need for a day.
The drive is supported by the FDNY, NYPD, NYC Department of Education,
Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, The Starr Foundation, Blue Apron,
D'Agostino Supermarkets, FreshDirect, Apple Bank, and Goodwill of NY
and NJ.
WHEN: Tuesday, October 23, 2018 at 10 am
Laura Kavanagh, FDNY First Deputy Commissioner
Paul Valerga, Commanding Officer of the NYPD Community Outreach Division
Gregory Boroff, Chief External Relations Officer, City Harvest
Lisa Sposato, Director of Food Sourcing, City Harvest
Students from P.S. 41, Manhattan
WHERE: FDNY Engine Co 7 / Hook & Ladder Co No 1
104 Duane Street (between Broadway and Church Streets)