VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Feeding hope: How the Food Bank of Central New York fights hunger and nourishes communities
Casey Lange: Welcome to The Food Bank of Central New York. Located in Syracuse, this food bank serves 11 counties distributing thousands of pounds of food per day to those in need. This is all possible because of their dedicated volunteers and staff, like the chief development officer, Lynn Hy.
Lynn Hy: I love every single minute of it. You can’t have a better feeling than at the end of the day you know that whatever you did you are helping to raise awareness, and you are helping to feed somebody that’s in need.
Lange: Hy tells me that last year The Food Bank distributed 22.5 million pounds of food, which is a record high. And this year they are on track to top that. That alone shows that here in Central New York, people are in dire need of assistance, especially children in the summertime.
Hy: Actually, summer rivals this time of year because children are at school, and those kids are getting free or reduced priced breakfast or lunch at school. While there are a lot of summer food service programs, they aren’t being accessed. The utilization rate is very low on that.
Lange: It is statistics like these that drive The Food Bank of Central New York every day. Forty-three percent of households have to choose between food and daily expenses each day.
Hy: I think the importance is in the numbers, really. When you hear that 22.5 million pounds of food was distributed, that immediately shows you the importance of the work. There is so much need, and we all see it. We all see the increased prices that are out there in the community.
Lange: The Food Bank of Central New York’s main goal is to meet people where they are to ensure that everyone has access to the nutrients they need. The Bank has touched the lives of many since it opened in 1985. Hy recalls the story of an older woman she met a few summers ago, who she named Ruth. This story lives on with her throughout her work every day.
Hy: And she grabbed my hand, and I immediately said ‘wow.’ Her hands were like ice. They were ice cold. So Ruth and I talked for a few minutes and she said to me ‘I haven’t eaten anything but a biscuit in the past three days, can you help me today?’ That’s all you need. That’s all you need. I think about Ruth, and I wonder. It’s been a few years. How’s Ruth doing? Hopefully she’s still getting that food she needs. Hopefully she’s not still freezing cold on an August day, that day that I saw her.
Lange: To learn more about how you can help The Food Bank, visit www.foodbankcny.org. Reporting for NCC News from Syracuse, I’m Casey Lange.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — The Food Bank of Central New York, located in Syracuse, serves 11 counties distributing thousands of pounds of food per day to those in need. This is all possible because of their dedicated volunteers, their hundreds of local partners and their motivated staff like the chief development officer, Lynn Hy.
“I love every single minute of it,” Hy said. “You can’t have a better feeling than at the end of the day you know that whatever you did you are helping to raise awareness, and you are helping to feed somebody that’s in need.”
Hy tells me that The Food Bank of Central New York has been generating record numbers over the last few years. Just last year they distributed 22.5 million pounds of food, which is the most they have ever done in a fiscal year. As of today, they are on track to top that number. That alone shows that here in Central New York, people are in dire need of assistance. Hy especially expressed concern for children in the summer months.
“Summer rivals this time of year because children are at school, and those kids are getting free or reduced priced breakfast or lunch at school,” Hy said. “While there are a lot of summer food service programs, they aren’t being accessed. The utilization rate is very low on that.”
According to The Food Bank, 43% of households have to choose between food and daily expenses each day. It is statistics like these that drive the hard work that employees and volunteers of The Food Bank do every single day.
“I think the importance is in the numbers, really,” Hy said. “When you hear that 22.5 million pounds of food was distributed, that immediately shows you the importance of the work. There is so much need, and we all see it. We all see the increased prices that are out there in the community.”
The Food Bank of Central New York’s main goal is to meet people where they are, to ensure that everyone has gained access to the nutrients they need. The Bank has touched the lives of many since it opened in 1985. Hy recalls the story of an older woman she met a few summers ago, who she named Ruth. This story lives on with her throughout her work every day.
“So Ruth and I talked for a few minutes, and she said to me ‘I haven’t eaten anything but a biscuit in the past three days, can you help me today?’ That’s all you need. That’s all you need.” Hy said. “I think about Ruth, and I wonder. It’s been a few years. How’s Ruth doing? Hopefully she’s still getting that food she needs. Hopefully she’s not still freezing cold on an August day, that day that I saw her.”
To learn more about how you can help The Food Bank, visit www.foodbankcny.org.