Brooklyn Food Summer '09
Thank you for your interest in becoming a Food Summer Volunteer.
While
we are no longer accepting new applications for Food Summer '09, many of our partner organizations are looking for volunteers.
If you are interested in volunteering with one of our partner organizations, please see the list of opportunities below.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES - Summer 2009
Bed-Stuy Campaign Against Hunger
Description of Organization:
G.R.A.C.E. International/D/B/A The Bed-Stuy Campaign Against Hunger (BSCAH) is a non-profit organization working vigorously to end poverty in the neighborhoods of
Bedford-Stuyvesant and Brownsville in Brooklyn. Ever since 1998, we have been
working toward our mission: to end hunger by distributing food and empowering
families through information and support, so as to instill the community with dignity.
Though we began operating out of a small church basement, we have grown immensely since then. In 2006, we relocated into an expanded 2,000-square-foot facility where we opened a supermarket-style food pantry, enabling our clients to shop for themselves.
This model reinvests people with the power of choice and lends dignity to the process of emergency food distribution. So as to better empower our clients, we added a social
services office in 2008, where we are now able to counsel our clients and refer them to
various agencies for finding jobs, getting housing, obtaining welfare benefits, and
receiving legal aid. Our vision is to diminish poverty by giving our clients the tools they
need to become self-sufficient; we at BSCAH pride ourselves on tending to people's
long-term independence while simultaneously providing for them in the short-term.
Volunteer Opportunity:
Currently, we have two volunteer opportunities available: checkout worker and intake
worker. For the position of checkout worker, the volunteer will work at the checkout
station in our supermarket-style pantry. He or she will act as a cashier, taking stock of
the groceries that clients have selected and verifying that the amount they have taken
corresponds to the amount they have been allocated. This position requires flexibility,
good communication skills, and the ability to work well under pressure. The position of
intake worker involves processing clients in our social services office to go shopping in
our pantry. Volunteers will process clients one at a time using our client-tracking
database. In addition to entering the client’s visit, the volunteer will enter information
about the client so that we can accurately generate statistical reports. This position
requires excellent communication skills, computer literacy, and a friendly demeanor. We generally ask that volunteers commit at least one day a week (a 5-6 hour shift) at their position.
Tamara Dawson
tdawson@bedstuyagainsthunger.org
718-773-3551
http://www.bedstuyagainsthunger.org/
City Harvest
Description of Organization:
City Harvest is coordinating the NYC Alliance for CNR, which represents various groups in NYC advocating for changes in the 2009 Child Nutrition Reauthorization. This legislation sets rules and funding levels for the major school-based nutrition programs, including the School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, and Summer Food Service Program, and other important federal food programs for children. We established priorities for the bill around 4 primary goals: 1) end childhood hunger, 2) improve food quality 3) decrease obesity and diet-related disease, and 4) support the regional farm and food economy. This statement has been delivered to key members of Congress.
Volunteer Opportunity:
We are now in a period of intense outreach to get other groups engaged in our work!
We’re also planning events to raise awareness of CNR. Would you like to help spread the word about CNR and the opportunity to reduce child hunger and improve child nutrition through this bill? We are looking for people to conduct outreach (e.g., email/call organizations to request “sign ons” , attend events and speak about the Alliance and CNR, etc), help manage the website www.NYCforCNR.org (e.g., post news articles, set up functions such as comment boxes and action alerts, link to facebook, etc), and help plan events (reach out to legislators, community members, schools or other sites, etc).
This activity will occur in July and August, and possibly some in September. The time
commitment is very flexible.
Kristen Mancinelli, Manger, Policy and Government Relations
kmancinelli@cityharvest.org
917-351-8706
http://www.cityharvest.org/
Food Bank for New York City
Description of Organization:
Food Bank For New York City recognizes 25 years as the city's major hunger-relief
organization. Working to end food poverty and increase access to affordable, nutritious
food for low-income New Yorkers throughout the five boroughs, the Food Bank's
initiatives focus on direct services, food sourcing and distribution, nutrition and health
education, financial empowerment, disaster relief and policy and research.
Volunteer Opportunity:
The Community Kitchen & Food Pantry of West Harlem, located on 116 Street, offers
low-income New Yorkers a broad range of interrelated programs to alleviate hunger,
including a soup kitchen that serves hot meals and a choice-style food pantry. Volunteer
opportunities are also available at other food programs throughout New York City. Learn more about these programs below or contact us now to find out which program best suits your interests and availability. Also, Food Bank For New York City distributes food to more than 1,000 food assistance programs — including soup kitchens, food pantries, senior centers and shelters — throughout the five boroughs. The majority of these programs rely on volunteers to operate, supplying food and other assistance to low-income New Yorkers.
Heather A. Joseph, Volunteer Services Manager
hjoseph@foodbanknyc.org
(212) 566.7855 ext. 8557
http://www.foodbanknyc.org
Fort Greene SNAP
Description of Organization:
Fort Greene SNAP is a community based organization serving the Fort Greene
surrounding communities. We offer an open access computer lab for adults, workshops
in computer basics, financial literacy, parenting and provide support to Grandparent
Caregivers.
Volunteer Opportunity:
The event we are recruiting a volunteer for is a one day health fair on August 15. We
will be tabling and offering information on our services and how to obtain assistance.
Please call and speak with Terri Ball regarding the event.
Terri Ball
718 694-6957
http://www.fortgreenesnap.org/
Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project
Description of Organization:
The Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project is a community-based organization whose
mission is to work with local residents and merchants to revitalize the “Main Steet” and
the surrounding blocks of the Fort Greene and Clinton Hill neighborhood through
grassroots organizing, community-based planning, small business development, and
environmental stewardship.
Volunteer Opportunity:
Every Sunday this September, 7 blocks of Myrtle Avenue in Clinton Hill will be closed
to vehicle traffic and turned into a pedestrian walkway called “Move About Myrtle”,
filled with live music, art, games and other activities. One of the 7 blocks will be devoted to food, with a variety of activities going on related to nutrition education, cooking demos, community, access and so on. We would love to have 1-2 volunteers participate in the food block to assist with coordination of these activities.
Sam Lipschultz
sam@myrtleavenue.org
718-230-1689
http://www.myrtleavenue.org/
New York City Coalition Against Hunger
Description of Organization:
Between 1995 and 2002, due to a number of policy, administrative and economic
changes, participation in the Food Stamp Program dropped by more than 659,904 people (45%) in New York City, even though most of the people remained eligible. NYCCAH’s benefits policy and outreach work played a significant role in increasing Food Stamp/SNAP participation in the City among eligible people by 555,086 individuals between January 2002 and April 2009, resulting in low-income families receiving an estimated additional $925 million this year in federal nutrition assistance. That’s significant progress. However, more than 100,000 fewer people are receiving benefits than in 1995, and at least 300,000 New Yorkers are currently eligible but not receiving SNAP benefits, many of whom are low-income working people and immigrants who think they do not qualify. So, given the recent economic downturn, there is a greater need than ever for intensified work to provide pre-screenings and application assistance to potentially eligible individuals and families.
Volunteer Opportunity:
NYCCAH works with community-based organizations throughout the five boroughs to
support their outreach efforts and ultimately increase the number of New Yorkers
receiving benefits for which they are eligible. Volunteers are needed to distribute
informational brochures about the SNAP program in order to generate referrals for
eligibility pre-screenings, either over the phone or at sites throughout the community.
Through grassroots efforts, outreach volunteers will demonstrate their commitment to
improving community health and food security, while supporting neighborhood
economies through locally-spent food dollars. Volunteers are needed Monday-Friday,
4pm-7pm and Saturday and Sunday, 11am-2pm and 2pm-5pm. A maximum of 4
volunteers can be accommodated for each shift.
Jim Wengler, Director of Benefits Outreach
jwengler@nyccah.org
212-825-0028 x211
http://www.nyccah.org/
New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Description of Organization:
The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene works to improve the health of all
NYC residents. The Healthy Bodegas Initiative (HBI) works to increase access of
healthier food options in NYC bodegas. HBI outreach staff work intensely with store
owners to assist and support them in making their stores healthier environments. HBI also empowers communities to choose and demand healthier options.
Volunteer Opportunity:
HBI is in the midst of the endline evaluation for our Star Bodega Campaign, through
which we have encouraged 60 stores in the South Bronx and East New York to offer a
number of healthier foods. A critical part of this evaluation involves conducting
consumer exit surveys at a subset of stores; these surveys were conducted at the same
stores in January as part of our baseline data collection. Our goal is to assess whether
customers have noticed any changes in the stores over the course of the past six months.
Next week, from July 27th to July 31st, we will be conducting these brief surveys at a
total of 8 bodegas in the South Bronx and East New York, Brooklyn. The surveys will
be conducted at 2 time points for each store: once in the morning, from 8am to 10am, and once in the late afternoon, from 4pm to 6pm. You would be working in teams of two and will receive training beforehand.
Rachel Dannefer
rdannefe@health.nyc.gov
212-442-6569
http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/home/home.shtml
Slow Food USA
Volunteer Opportunity:
This fall, Congress will be deciding whether to make updates and improvements to the
Child Nutrition Act - the law which determines what 30 million children eat at school
every day. To help get the word out about the importance of this piece of legislation and
the impacts it has on our nation's children and future, Slow Food USA has launched its
very first national advocacy campaign: Time for Lunch (http://slowfoodusa.org/timeforlunch). As part of this campaign, Slow Food USA is
holding a National Day of Action over Labor Day Weekend (September 7th). On that day and over that weekend, people from across America will be gathering together for public potlucks, or Eat-Ins. As public gatherings taking place collectively across the country in communities small and large, rural and urban, we stand to generate a significant amount of media coverage and attention for our issue at hand: to tell our legislators that it's time to provide real food in schools.
Slow Food is looking for local, New York City based volunteers to help organize and facilitate the planning of Eat-Ins across the five boroughs. These Eat-Ins can take any
shape and form, and should reflect the spirit and values of the neighborhoods in which
they're hosted - get creative! This is a fun, tasty, and creative outlet for translating some
of the goals of the BHFC into a national message and action. Take a look at the Slow Food USA website for more details!
(http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/campaign/time_for_lunch/organize_an_eat_in/)
Gordon Jenkins
timeforlunch@slowfoodusa.org
718-260-8000 x107
http://www.slowfoodusa.org/
UFCW Local 1500
Description of Organization:
UFCW Local 1500 is a local labor union that represents over 22,000 people who work in supermarkets in the New York City area—10,000 of our members live in the Five
Boroughs. As a union we collectively bargain for living wages, health benefits, and a
voice on the job. Currently, we are working with the State and City governments to bring in supermarkets to neighborhoods that need them. And we are building a grass-roots campaign to make sure that these supermarkets provide good jobs with fair wages,
benefits, and dignity. Neighborhoods with the highest rates of poverty and unemployment also have the highest rates of diabetes and obesity. Central Brooklyn, Northern Manhattan, and the South Bronx do not have enough stores that sell healthy, affordable, good food. These very same communities have rates of unemployment up to 25%, and the highest rates of poverty in the City: these communities need good jobs. Without good food and good jobs, these communities have poor health.
Volunteer Opportunity:
Across New York City, workers, students, and community members are uniting for good food, good jobs, and good health. United Food & Commercial Workers Local 1500 needs your energy and talent to develop high-road supermarkets in low-income neighborhoods that lack access to healthy, affordable food. By bringing in new supermarkets, we can alleviate poverty and reduce rates of obesity and diabetes. Please sign up today to help.
Some of the tasks you may sign up for:
* Leafleting
* Picketing
* Rallies
* Customer outreach
* Worker outreach
* Lobby days
* Letter-writing
* Phone calls
Allen Strouse
allen.strouse@gmail.com
1-800-522-0456
http://www.ufcw1500.org/home/
http://www.ufcw1500.org/content/page/title/Building_Blocks_Project
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