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Four full-time national service participants have just started work in New York State as part of a new nationwide AmeriCorps VISTA project to fight hunger called the National Anti-Hunger and Opportunity Corps.
The nonprofit organization Island Harvest in Nassau County, Foodlink in Rochester, and Food For All in Buffalo have received Anti-Hunger Corps members at their sites.
Their service began a few days after top federal and local officials joined with nonprofit groups at Philadelphia’s City Hall to swear-in 44 members of the new program, which will not only help nonprofit organizations in 18 states, at nearly 30 sites, fight hunger, but will also help to empower more low-income individuals and families to achieve long-term financial security.
The program is being led by the New York City Coalition Against Hunger (NYCCAH) and funded jointly by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), with additional support from non-governmental sources such as the Walmart Foundation.
“Building strong communities means making sure families have the food and nutrition they need to start their children on the right path,” said Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY). “By partnering with New York City Coalition Against Hunger, the Anti-Hunger and Opportunity Corps will go a long way towards helping New Yorkers, and families across the country, gain access to the food they need.”
“Thousands of New York families are struggling just to put food on their tables during this difficult economy, said Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).
“Forging meaningful partnerships between the private sector, government and local hunger relief organizations is a critical step in addressing the insidious effects hunger has on those who know it firsthand — especially America’s at-risk children,” said Randi Shubin Dresner, president and CEO of Island Harvest, Long Island’s largest hunger relief organization. “We look forward to working with the Anti-Hunger Opportunity Corps in helping stem the advancing, yet often unrecognized problem of hunger in our local communities.”
“The AmeriCorps VISTA program is a perfect tool to fight hunger and improve nutrition,” said NYCCAH’s Joel Berg. “We are grateful that this new public-private partnership will cost-effectively aid the ability of grassroots nonprofit groups in 18 states to increase their capacity to enable eligible families to access the federal nutrition assistance benefits that they need to avoid hunger and improve their diets. We are extraordinarily grateful to the Obama Administration and to local officials around the country for this tremendous federal and local support, as well as to the Walmart Foundation and our nonprofit partners for their support.”
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