Jon Methven is fundraising
Advent Food Program Fundraiser
Every Saturday morning, members of our New York City community assemble on 93rd Street, often in a line extending up the block and north onto Amsterdam Avenue. They come for a hot lunch, a bag of fruit and grocery staples designed to last throughout the week, and camaraderie.
For several decades, the Food Program has worked diligently to provide a nutritious hot meal, fresh produce, and shelf-stable groceries for the community. The ingredients in our team's recipe: a dollop of volunteers, a pinch of community advocates, a drizzle of professional chefs, and a slather of hunger relief champions. We have maintained our Food Program in the face of significant challenges: to mention a few, the 2008 financial crisis, rising prices, faulty plumbing, burnt hands, cut fingers, winter storms, and most recently, Covid-19. Now we’re facing a new challenge, and we’re asking you to help us strengthen our mission.
Friday preparation, Saturday hot lunches, and supplemental meals require kitchens. And our kitchen and programs need some TLC. The funds we raise will be used for a much-needed upgrade to our equipment and food costs. Below is a list of exactly what our program needs and the costs involved. This table showcases how we intend to use the funds to improve our city through the power of community service and food.
Projections
This is particularly important since food prices for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs increased 13% for the year ended February 2022, the largest annual increase since July 1979, according to the Department of Labor’s latest report.
By the end of 2024:
- We will increase our hot meals by 40%.
- We will serve over 500,000 annual meals.
- Increase our hot meals to 60,000 per year.
- We will host more than 15,000 senior citizens, up from 11,000 in 2021.
Food Pantry
- Advent Food Pantry runs two Saturdays (first and third) each month, as well as additional special projects throughout the year that provide warm winter items, toiletries, and school school supplies throughout the year.
- Food Pantry provides a grocery bag full of fresh produce, fruit, eggs, and other dry and canned food staples as well as ready to eat meals for those who come for food but may not have a kitchen to prepare food.
- Food Pantry volunteers have also started a cooking class geared for our youth volunteers which happens 4-6 times per year.
- Food Pantry distributes over 500 grocery bags each pantry session in addition to hot meals.
- Each grocery bag represents 28-32 nutritious meals for household members.
- In 2022, the Advent Food Pantry provided grocery bags of healthy food to over 50,000 seniors, adults, and children.
- The Food Pantry program includes the active participation and support of many local groups including Trinity Schools, Columbia University, KinderCare, GlobalME, Hearts for the Homeless, and many other public local schools to name a few.
- Food Pantry also started a youth leadership program last year which has increased local youth love for volunteering as well 14 of them being awarded the Presidential Volunteer Service Award for their service work at Advent.
We’re proud of the Food Mission and want to continue supporting the community. Thank you for your help.
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192 supporters
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