“Neighbors helping neighbors”

In a city where 1 in 4 children doesn’t know where their next meal is coming from, I found a reason to hope.

Last month, at the instigation of my youngest son, we volunteered at City Harvest, “New York’s first and largest food rescue organization.” Last year alone, they rescued and redistributed 86 million pounds of food.

One day we packed food in a Brooklyn warehouse. Another we collected leftover produce from vendors at a downtown farmer’s market. On 155th Street we handed out food to over 500 families, quietly lined up around the block with their carts and bags. Together with ten other volunteers, organized by a few staff, we gave out almost 4000 pounds of potatoes, plus crate after crate of cauliflower, celery, onions, and tomatoes.

“Thank you,” they said as we greeted them. “God bless you.”

I left with mixed emotions: anger at policies that have created such needless food insecurity, admiration for City Harvest employees, and a deep respect for the families we served, for their grace and persistence in the face of such suffering.

Amidst the restaurants and wealth New York is famous for, hunger is everywhere. Over 1.4 *million* people are food insecure, and visits to soup kitchens and food pantries have increased by 85% since 2019. (This will get much worse with the planned cuts to federal funding for food aid programs.)

It’s easy to be disheartened and cynical. I could complain about our government or simply avert my eyes in indifference. Yet as Carl Sagan said, “When too much cynicism threatens to engulf us, it is buoying to remember how pervasive goodness is.”

Last week, I wrote about how the "tragedy of the commons" needn't be tragic, and I'd like to think that models like City Harvest show we can indeed cooperate and collaborate and lift each other up for collective as well as individual benefit.

Almost 12,000 people volunteer with City Harvest, and “Neighbors helping neighbors” is how they describe who they are. It’s a reminder of who we all can be when we choose to work together to make things better.