This September, members of the AICP East Chapter's ongoing volunteer initiative teamed up with Food Bank For New York City, the city's largest hunger relief agency, for two days of service in Harlem. Sixteen volunteers in all gave their time, and together they helped put food in the hands of hundreds of neighbors.
Pantry Distribution at Lehman Village
On Saturday, September 19, five AICP East volunteers spent the morning at the Lehman Village Mobile Pantry, working alongside Food Bank staff and community partners. The team helped set up and break down the pantry space, managed the line and helped distribute goods. This was a client-choice pantry, where neighbors select the fresh produce and shelf-stable groceries that best fit their family's needs. By the end of the day, more than 200 community members had been served.
Dinner Service at the Community Kitchen
On Wednesday, September 30, a group of 11 volunteers headed to the Food Bank's Community Kitchen & Pantry on West 116th Street for an evening shift. The Community Pantry provides groceries and hot meals to 3,000 households each month, nearly 150,000 meals in all. Our volunteers helped prepare and distribute hot meals, sort donations and clean up at the end of the night, serving more than 250 dinners.
Thank you to everyone who gave their time. Hunger relief depends on steady, reliable hands, and we're proud to see AICP East members showing up for our community when they need it most.
The volunteer initiative is ongoing, and there's always room for more participants. Keep an eye on upcoming newsletters and RSVP pages for the next opportunity, and join us if you can! Contact info@aicp.com with any questions.