Ample Table for Everyone (ATE) is pleased to share our Summer 2020 Newsletter with you. We hope it finds you safe and healthy. We would like to take this opportunity to give a special thanks to all of our donors who have so generously supported ATE. With your support, we continue to provide grants to organizations working to mitigate food insecurity by addressing the key causes: lack of time, lack of money, inaccessibility to nutritious food, and unfamiliarity with a variety of healthy ingredients, cooking methods and recipes. And now, many organizations are experiencing increased demands on their resources.
SPECIAL OFFER TO OUR DONORS
As a thank you for your donation, we are offering all donors a cloth face mask. These face masks are custom made by our board member, Cindy Gerhard. Each mask is 3-ply, made from high quality cotton quilting fabric and backed with a soft cotton lining. Contact Cindy for more information.
Welcome New ATE Grantees
ATE would like to introduce our newest grantees. In recognition of the increasingly difficult times in which many families find themselves, ATE has made four emergency grants to provide immediate assistance to New Yorkers in need. Each of these grantees has committed to using their grants to expand programs that support small businesses and families in their communities. ATE is grateful to its donors to be able to make these emergency grants at this time.
Blessings in a Backpack is a national organization with deep ties to New York City public schools. Traditionally, the organization sends children home on weekends with a bag of food to fight hunger at home when free meal programs are not available. With schools closed during COVID-19, the organization expanded its mission to get hungry children food seven days a week. The emergency grant from ATE will enable Blessings in a Backpack to add one more school to its roster with meal bags for family pick up.
Harlem Grown is a youth nutrition education non-profit. Traditionally, they work with children in Harlem to inspire an ambitious and healthful life through mentorship and hands-on experience in urban gardening, sustainability, and nutrition. In March, the organization quickly pivoted to react to the health and hunger crisis in their neighborhood. Working with local restaurants in Harlem, the organization provides an average of 165 weekly meals to local family shelters. This model keeps the most vulnerable fed and the restaurant keeps staff on payroll, further helping those families avoid food insecurity themselves. The emergency grant from ATE will allow them to sustain this vital neighborhood program.
The River Fund was founded to help New Yorkers find resources during the AIDs crisis and evolved to help navigate the complex system of anti-poverty programs available to New York City residents. The Covid-19 pandemic has brought them back to their founding mission of helping New Yorkers during a complex health crisis, providing access to economic, food, and health resources during this time of great insecurity. Demand for their services has quadrupled and they now supply over 300,000 pounds of food a week. The emergency grant from ATE enables them to continue to meet the urgent need for food among impacted New Yorkers.
Invisible Hands was formed in direct response to Covid-19 by a group of young adults, including some Hunter High School alums. They began by delivering essential items to local elderly and high risk neighbors who were housebound due to the threat of the virus. Growing to over 10,000 volunteers throughout the five boroughs and expanding into Northern New Jersey, Long Island, and Connecticut, this network has selflessly served every zip code in New York City. The emergency grant from ATE will be used to sustain this program and help fill an important service gap for the at-risk and underserved.
Nearly as urgently as organizations need donations, they need people to help address the steep increase in demand, while their regular cohort of volunteers is limited. If you or someone you know is healthy and interested in volunteering their time, In It Together NYC will match you with an organization in need.
Support Ample Table for Everyone
We can’t do our work alone and need your support. A contribution to ATE will help organizations in need to reduce food insecurity in their communities.
We are always accessible through the Ample Table for Everyone website, Facebook and Twitter and eager to hear from you! Search for “Ample Table for Everyone” or click our ATE Facebook link or ATE on Twitter. Please be sure to contact us with your concerns, questions and passions.