There have always been hungry and undernourished New Yorkers, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic rates of food insecurity rose dramatically.
March 17: Time to Activate This Decade-Old Food Aid Program
May 2: Coronavirus in the Bronx: Why the poor never stood a chance
May 8: Stephen Ritz on Urban Farming And Food Access in The Bronx
May 29: We Must Not Ignore the Toll of COVID-19 on the Bronx
June 16: Coronavirus Pandemic Deepens New York’s Hunger Crisis
September 14: ‘It’s never been this tragic’: Pandemic worsens food insecurity for millions of U.S. families ; A family struggle as pandemic worsens food insecurity
September 30: Can NYC use COVID to fix its food problems?
As the economy plunged, many businesses furloughed or let go their employees – resulting in increased need for food aid for newly unemployed New Yorkers
April 2: Brooklyn Eatery Becomes a Food Bank for Hard-Hit Industry
April 19: Food banks feeding more people amid coronavirus unemployment crisis
April 24: New York City’s Undocumented Population Faces Exposure to COVID-19 and Food Insecurity
May 27: Food pantries dry up as unemployment skyrockets
June 9: Brooklyn Nonprofit Rethinks Food Waste to Feed New Yorkers During COVID-19
June 21: Half of New York’s Immigrants are Unemployed Due to Pandemic: Report
July 14: Feed The Frontlines NYC Keeps Restaurants Going While Providing Meals
August 9: With Weekly $600 Pandemic Assistance Gone, Many Out-Of-Work NYers Are “Back To Square One”
August 14: Jobless NYC Restaurant Workers Are Increasingly Turning to Food Pantries to Survive
August 11: NYC Pantry’s Work: Should Billionaires Get the Bill?
November 19: Covid-19 pandemic is the first time 40% of Americans have experienced food insecurity
Food pantries and other subsidized food programs had to change how they functioned in order to meet the increasing needs of their communities with the same, or sometimes fewer resources than before
March 17: Food Bank Calls for Community Support During Coronavirus Public Health Crisis
March 21: Coronavirus pushes New York City’s food pantries to ‘nothing short of a crisis’
March 31: Coronavirus News: NYC food banks struggle to stay stocked amid COVID-19 crisis
April 3: City’s Food Pantries and Soup Kitchens Face Obstacles Meeting Soaring Need
April 21: Food Pantries Struggle To Keep Up With Demand
April 27: A Third Of NYC Food Pantries Have Closed, Swelling Bread Lines During Coronavirus Lockdown
April 28: Food banks are closing and losing their workforce because of the coronavirus
May 3: New York State program to provide $25 million to food banks
May 6: Line at Queens food pantry stretches for 8 blocks ; Coronavirus News: Line at Queens food pantry stretches for 8 blocks
May 6: Food pantries, soup kitchens say they haven’t seen $25M in city aid
June 10: Moving into the next phase of addressing New York City’s hunger crisis
June 11: Borough Park Food Pantry Serves Nearly 1,500 families
July 1: Sunset Park Food Pantry Hangs on by a Thread While Serving More People
July 30: ‘No end in sight’: How NYC is dealing with the growing hunger crisis
August 3: Greenwood Soup Kitchen closes; volunteer tests positive for COVID-19
August 28: Manhattan church sees 2,264% increase in demand for pantry meals amid COVID crisis
October 4: NYers hard hit by COVID-19 pandemic rely on food pantries to live
October 17: Local food banks having trouble meeting need during COVID pandemic
October 20: 1.5 Million New Yorkers Can’t Afford Food. Pantries Are Their Lifeline.
October 23: Food Banks In Growing Need Of Donations As New Families Experience Food Insecurity During Pandemic
November 25: Food Pantries Increasing Their Impact Through InnovationNYC
December 10: Supermarket-style food pantry opens in Upper East Side
February 17: With Hunger Growing, Brooklyn Food Pantries Look to Expand Before Passover
New York State and New York City ran government programs to address food insecurity
April 15: NYC Unveils $170M Plan to Help Feed Struggling New Yorkers During Pandemic
April 28: How NYC’s emergency food program is ‘starving people’
May 18: City’s Efforts to Meet Food Crisis Evolve; Questions About Long Term
June 1: Money for Groceries Coming to *ALL* NYC Families
June 25: Free Produce, With a Side of Shaming
July 16: New York state announces an additional $100 million in food assistance for SNAP recipients
July 21: De Blasio ties federal stimulus aid to NYC free meals program
July 24: Food Insecurity and COVID-19
July 26: Mayor Calls On Federal Government To Increase Funding For Food Assistance
August 12: New York State Announces More Than $100 Million In Additional Food Assistance for August
August 31: SNAP in the Era of COVID
September 9: NYS lawmakers hold virtual hearing on the impact of the coronavirus on food insecurity ; Testimony on the impact of COVID-19 on food insecurity in New York State
September 14: NYS: More than $100 million in additional food assistance for September
September 17: Torres and Gibson pledge $38K to fight food insecurity in the south Bronx – Bronx Times
October 16: Governor Cuomo Announces Actions to Expand Eligibility and Ease Access to Food Assistance for New Yorkers
October 21: Letter to Governor Cuomo Regarding Food Insecurity
November 17: Food Insecurity In NYC Rises Precipitously With No Federal Help In Sight
February 10: New York City Passes 200 Million Meals Distributed Through GetFoodNYC Emergency Programs
February 22: Food Forward NYC: City Releases 10-Year Food Policy Plan; New York City Releases First 10-Year Food Plan Under New Law
Food insecurity worsened for children and seniors during the pandemic. The following articles examine hunger, food insecurity, and food assistance for children, seniors, and their families.
March 26: How New York City Is Feeding Children on the Front Lines of a Pandemic
April 16: Stuck At Home, Some Elderly NYers Are Struggling To Get Food During Coronavirus
April 23: Free Meals at Schools a Lifeline for Struggling Families
April 30: Coronavirus has 1 in 3 parents of infants and preschoolers skipping food
May 6: Kids Are Going Hungry Because of the Coronavirus
May 11: How Covid-19 Is Impacting Food Insecurity For Older Adults
May 12: New York State Announces $880 Million in Temporary Food Assistance for New York’s School Children
June 15: As food insecurity continues to plague New Yorkers, impact on children is worrisome
June 23: NYC grab-and-go meals to continue operation through the summer, officials say
July 21: Meet the People Who Bring Food and Comfort to NYC’s Homebound, Food-Insecure Seniors ; “The only conversation they have in a day is with me”
July 28: NY Giving Food Stamp Cards To Every Public School Student ; Families of every child in NYC public schools to receive $420 for food
July 31: Citymeals continues donating food to Bronx seniors and others in need during COVID-19
August 18: Economic Hardship From COVID-19 Facing NYC’s Working Parents and Youth
August 23: Fate of Grab-and-Go Meals Dished Out at Schools Unclear as Return of Classes Nears
September 1: Addressing food insecurity in school children during COVID-19 pandemic
September 4: Coronavirus Schools Briefing: Lunch Along With Learning
September 8: NYC’s Grab-and-Go Meal Program Headed for an After-School Schedule ; The City: NYC’s Grab-and-Go Meal Program Headed for an After-School Schedule – School of Public Health
September 15: NYC nearly doubled senior meal delivery during Queens’ COVID crisis
October 1: NYC Public Schools Providing In-Classroom School Breakfasts to All Students
October 21: We Can’t Let Our Children Go Hungry
October 23: New York mother relies on food bank to feed young sons amid COVID-19 pandemic
November 3: Heart of Dinner Feeds the Elderly in NYC’s Chinatown
December 11: The U.S. is facing ‘unprecedented’ levels of child hunger—and it could get worse this winter
January 7: Opinion: Older adults still need food and support during the pandemic
January 13: Everyday Hunger: An NYC Retiree Describes Overcoming Shame to Accept Help From a Food Bank
February 1: Public Advocate Backs Bill to Give Free Meals to Students in Emergencies
Food insecurity already affected Black, Latinx, and immigrant communities at higher rates than White New Yorkers, but the pandemic further exacerbated the situation and widened the gap in food access
April 17: Coronavirus Worsens Food Insecurity for New Yorkers
April 24: New York City’s Undocumented Population Faces Exposure to COVID-19 and Food Insecurity
May 2: Coronavirus in the Bronx: Why the poor never stood a chance
May 29: We Must Not Ignore the Toll of COVID-19 on the Bronx
June 10: The Coronavirus Crisis Is Worsening Racial Inequality
June 21: Half of New York’s Immigrants are Unemployed Due to Pandemic: Report
July 1: Sunset Park Food Pantry Hangs on by a Thread While Serving More People
June 6: How to get free food in NYC during the pandemic
July 7: Black, Hispanic households struggling with food insecurity during pandemic
July 27: Covid-19 and Racial Justice Movements Show It’s Time for Black Food Sovereignty in Brooklyn
August 10: A Farm In NYC’s Central Park Could Help Feed Food Insecure Residents
August 18: Economic Hardship From COVID-19 Facing NYC’s Working Parents and Youth
August 21: New York City’s Fight Against Food Insecurity Amid COVID-19
August 25: Hunger ‘Skyrocketing’ in Latino Neighborhoods Hard-Hit by COVID
September 8: COVID-19 has plunged more people of color into food insecurity
November 24: COVID-19 wreaking havoc on older Americans, communities of color
February 5: Fighting Food Deserts in a Pandemic
Rates of hunger and food insecurity made headline news, as the number of New Yorkers struggling to feed themselves and their families rose and plateaued.
March 26: Coronavirus Update: 1 In 8 New Yorkers Struggles With Food Insecurity
April 23: Number of New Yorkers without enough food will hit 2 million, de Blasio says ; Mayor Fears About 2 Million NYers Could Face Food Insecurity During Pandemic ; Food insecurity remains for at least 2 million New Yorkers
May 21: In New York City, 2 Million Residents Face Food Insecurity, Officials Say ; Nearly 1 in 4 New Yorkers Needs Food as Pandemic Persists ; De Blasio: 2 million people in New York City face food insecurity amid pandemic
July 11: Hunger Is Worsening. Here Are 7 Ways New Yorkers Are Addressing It.
September 1: Op-Ed: Hunger remains a problem for New Yorkers amid COVID-19 pandemic
September 13: Six Months Into Pandemic, NYC’s Hunger Crisis is ‘Getting Even Worse,’ Advocates Say
October 6: New York City’s Food Insecurity Issue Has Skyrocketed Due to COVID-19
October 20: 1.5 Million New Yorkers Can’t Afford Food. Pantries Are Their Lifeline.
November 12: Food insecurity on Long Island increases nearly 50% since start of pandemic
December 1: Lesson of the Day: ‘1.5 Million New Yorkers Can’t Afford Food. Pantries Are Their Lifeline.’
New Yorkers pull together in times of crisis, leading to countless instances of community support, charity, and mutual aid, finding unconventional ways of providing food.
March 26: Local restaurants in Queens volunteer to prepare meals throughout the NYC
April 10: ‘If All the Stores Close, We Need Food’: Community Gardens Adapt to the Pandemic
April 14: “Friendly fridges” full of free food are on the rise in NYC
April 15: A Fridge Full Of Free Food Appeared In Brooklyn For New Yorkers In Need
June 2: Free food fridge in Bed-Stuy inspires community fridges throughout the city
June 22: New York City Residents Are Filling Free Food Fridges for Those in Need
July 7: New York’s Community Fridges Combat Food Scarcity and Waste
July 10: “Take Some, Leave Some” How Neighbors Are Coming Together To Fight Food Insecurity In Their City
July 20: Brooklyn eatery serves soul food — and food for the soul
July 20: Bronx Restaurant Feeds 5K Neighbors For Free
July 26: Neighbors Help Each Other Through Pandemic Woes Via Mutual Aid Groups ;
‘It’s About Love and Solidarity’: Mutual Aid Unites NYC Neighbors Facing COVID
July 30: Op-ed: Why Those Community Fridges Won’t Solve Hunger
August 21: Ridgewood justice organization provides food and info for the community
August 24: Tackling Food Insecurity One Community Fridge at a Time
October 29: Food Banks In Growing Need Of Donations As New Families Experience Food Insecurity During Pandemic
January 21: The Street Vendors Who Are Fighting Against Hunger
February 25: Colorful Community Fridges Are Tackling Food Insecurity in Cities Across the US
Many people worked on government and community efforts to help feed hungry New Yorkers. The following articles highlight a select few of the thousands of “unsung heroes“
July 10: “Take Some, Leave Some” How Neighbors Are Coming Together To Fight Food Insecurity In Their City
July 21: Meet the People Who Bring Food and Comfort to NYC’s Homebound, Food-Insecure Seniors ; “The only conversation they have in a day is with me”
September 15: These Unsung Heroes of Public School Kitchens Have Fed Millions
October 21: Entrepreneurial Women Around the Country Combat Food Insecurity
December 9: Volunteer Leader Steven Yee on Serving Communities in Need in 2020
December 28: New Yorker of the Week: Shatia Burks
February 17: Interview with Joel Berg, NYC’s Hunger Free Advocate
February 24: New York Lawmakers Press Vaccine Priority for Food Bank Workers
Six months into the pandemic, rates of food insecurity remained high and various efforts to feed hungry New Yorkers continued.
September 1: Hunger remains a problem for New Yorkers amid COVID-19 pandemic
September 9: Food Insecurity Grows During COVID-19 Pandemic
October 6: ‘A Panic For Food’: How The COVID-19 Pandemic Has Impacted NYC’s Hungry ; New York City’s Food Insecurity Issue Has Skyrocketed Due to COVID-19
November 17: Opinion: NYC Faces a Hunger and Homelessness Crisis. Here’s How to Help.
November 18: New report shows more New Yorkers are struggling to get food on table
November 25: As COVID-19 cases rise in New York, so does food insecurity
For more information on food insecurity in NYC, visit the NYC Food Policy Center, Food Access report from the New York Academy of Medicine, Food Security in New York City in the Time of COVID-19: Reports from the CUNY SPH COVID-19 Survey,