America’s Second Harvest to Oversee Strategic Hunger-Relief Investments in New York City

America's Second Harvest
Friday, 3 October 2003

Starr Foundation to Disburse Millions to Offset Growing Demand for Emergency Food Assistance During Period of High Unemployment

America's Second Harvest announced today that it is forming a new partnership with The Starr Foundation and its New York City affiliates, the Food Bank For New York City and City Harvest, to help feed more hungry New Yorkers.

At a time when the city's unemployment rate is one of the highest in the nation - reaching 8.1 percent in July - the partnership will provide much-needed relief to emergency food providers overwhelmed by sustained high-demand that began even before the tragic events of 9/11.

According to Hunger in America 2001: The New York City Report, an estimated one in five New Yorkers are turning to emergency food programs to avoid going hungry. The program announced today will provide grants to local community based hunger-relief charities using guidelines based on the long-term goal of stabilizing and expanding charitable food distribution in New York City.

Over two years, $6 million will be disbursed to strengthen hunger-relief charities across the New York City metropolitan area. This represents a 50 percent increase of the Foundation's New York City hunger-relief grantmaking.

"Through this collaborative effort with The Starr Foundation, City Harvest, and the Food Bank for New York City, we will be able to affect real change in the quality and quantity of food available to New York City's hungry residents," said Bob Forney, President and CEO of America's Second Harvest.

Working closely with its two New York City based affiliates, City Harvest and the Food Bank For New York City, America's Second Harvest will provide grants to New York City agencies that have the desire, but not the means to expand the services they offer to New Yorkers in need.

"In the past few years as New York City and the nation have struggled to cope with economic downturn and international uncertainty, the country has seen double-digit increases in the number of people seeking emergency food supplies from hunger-relief charities," said Florence A. Davis, President of The Starr Foundation. "This New York City program will strengthen the numerous grass roots groups that open their doors every day and help New York's needy residents."

"The Food Bank For New York City considers it a great privilege to be part of The Starr Foundation's network of charities. This grant will enable the Food Bank to provide more meals to more people more often in a city where the need for emergency food assistance is growing exponentially," said Lucy Cabrera, Ph.D., President and CEO of the Food Bank For New York City.

"City Harvest is grateful for the opportunity to help those on the front lines of hunger meet the increased need for food in New York City," said Julia Erickson, executive director of City Harvest. "1.6 million hungry New Yorkers rely on the city's network of soup kitchens and food pantries for their next meal, with more lining up for food every day. The services these programs provide are essential to the well being of so many, and these grants will help this vital network provide more food to those in need," she concluded.

The Starr Foundation was established in 1955 by Cornelius Vander Starr, an insurance entrepreneur who founded the American International Group of companies, now known as American International Group, Inc (AIG: NYSE). Mr. Starr, a pioneer of globalization before that term was invented, founded AIG in Shanghai in 1919. AIG now operates in some 130 countries and jurisdictions around the world.

When Mr. Starr died in 1968 at the age of 76, he left his entire estate to his Foundation, which is now worth approximately $4.5 billion. The Foundation has a broad mission and funds organizations and projects in education, medicine and health care, human needs, culture and public policy.

America's Second Harvest is the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief organization with a national network of more than 200 regional food banks and food-rescue programs, serving all 50 states and Puerto Rico. It distributes 1.4 billion pounds of donated food and grocery products annually. America's Second Harvest's network supports approximately 50,000 local charitable agencies, operating more than 94,000 food programs, including food pantries, soup kitchens, women's shelters, Kids Cafes, Community Kitchens. These local organizations provide emergency food assistance to 23 million hungry Americans, including more than nine million children and almost three million seniors each year.

Founded in 1981, City Harvest is the world's oldest food rescue organization, dedicated to feeding New York City's hungry men, women and children. City Harvest collected over 21 million pounds of food last year from all segments of the food industry, and delivered it free of charge to some 800 community programs throughout New York City. Each week, City Harvest helps nearly 200,000 hungry New Yorkers find their next meal.

Food Bank For New York City, the nation's largest food bank and the city's largest supplier of food for the hungry, provides the food for over 200,000 free meals served each day by more than 1,000 nonprofit community food programs in the five boroughs. The Food Bank distributed 61 million pounds of food to soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters and other community food programs last year.

For more information, or to contact America's Second Harvest, see their website at: www.secondharvest.org