Food Insecurity
The Economic Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture defines food insecurity as “a household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food.” According to the 2020 New York City Food Metrics Report (PDF), nearly 13% of the city’s population was classified as food insecure in 2018 (the latest available data). The Bronx had the greatest percentage of food insecurity, at 17.5%; Staten Island had the lowest percentage of food insecurity, at 9%.
The primary purpose of this website is to point visitors in the direction of listings for front-line and policy organizations that work to reduce food insecurity in the five boroughs of New York City and beyond. In December of 2019, the Government Accountability Office released a report detailing how having access to relevant information could help eligible students obtain food benefits (PDF). Special attention has been taken to include links relevant to CUNY’s community college students, as students at two-year post-secondary schools are particularly vulnerable to food insecurity. In March of 2019, CUNY, the Hope Center, and the Jewish Foundation for Education of Women partnered to produce the City University of New York #RealCollege Survey (PDF), whose results show the number of CUNY students who face food and housing insecurity. In 2020, the CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute released The State of Food Security at CUNY in 2020: An Assessment and Recommendations.
Below are more resources to visit if you are interested in learning more about food insecurity and the people and organizations who are working to eradicate this problem. If you are interested in reading articles related to food insecurity, including its intersection with the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit the More Information about Food Insecurity section of this website.