In this episode of the “Tip of the Iceberg” podcast, The Packer spoke with Food Bank for New York City President and CEO Leslie Gordon, who is the fourth generation in her family fighting hunger. Gordon’s mom, Myra Gordon, was the executive director of the Hunts Point Produce Market in the Bronx, N.Y.
“It’s the work together collaboratively with folks in the produce industry that really help us to tackle these issues,” she said.
The Food Bank for New York City is the largest food bank in the country. Gordon said about 20% of the city’s 8.4 million people are food insecure, which she said means they don’t know where their next meal is coming from. In the U.S., there are about 43 million people that are food insecure.
“Food insecurity … means quite frankly that there’s limited or unreliable or uncertain access to adequate food and nutritious food,” she said. “People can be food insecure and also malnourished. We want to make sure that they’re getting good healthy food. A lot of folks we serve struggle with diet-related diseases, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis. At the Food Bank for New York City, we want to make sure that they’re getting this good nutritious food.”
Gordon said the fresh produce industry plays a huge role in feeding those who are food insecure, noting that about half of the food the Food Bank for New York distributes a day is fresh produce.
“It’s very, very meaningful to get produce into the hands of people especially as grocery prices continue to rise across the country,” she said. “It’s becoming harder and harder for the everyday person the access these vital nutrients that fresh produce provides. We want to make sure that we’re not only distributing stellar shelf-stable items, but [also] a fair amount and a good diversity at that of fresh fruits and vegetables that can add to any meal that they’re cooking at home.”
Gordon said those who are food insecure often face housing issues, unemployment or underemployment, and transportation issues, and the Food Bank for New York doesn’t just feed the hungry; it works to help end the reasons for the food insecurity.
“At the Food Bank for New York City, we work on both sides of the problem,” she said. “We want to make sure that people gain access to good nutritious food where and when it’s needed today, but we’ve also had a long legacy of being focused on making sure that we’re helping people and we do that by connecting them to social benefits such as [the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program], which they can use at the local grocery store gaining access to nutrition education among other things.”
(Use the video player above to watch this podcast episode.)
