New Yorkers are feeling the crunch of higher food prices.
According to new data, average monthly visits to the city’s food pantries and soup kitchens this year are up 82%, compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
That is the equivalent of one million more visits each month.
With requests for food assistance in the five boroughs at an all-time high, the city’s largest food rescue organization, City Harvest, is doing what it can to help feed New Yorkers.
To kick off Hunger Action Month this September, the organization is launching a school food distribution program and partnering with other organizations across the city to help those in need.
Jilly Stephens, the CEO of City Harvest, joined NY1 political anchor Errol Louis on “Inside City Hall” Tuesday to talk about the staggering increase in New Yorkers seeking help from food pantries.
“The majority of people that we’re serving in New York City are going to food pantries. They have homes, they have somewhere to cook the food that they bring home.” Stephens said. “When their budgets are stretched as tight as they are now, against rising rent, transportation costs, child care costs, and everything else it takes to get by as a person or family in New York City, food is often viewed as an elastic expense.”
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