Network Talks: 1.3 Million Food Insecure New Yorkers

In the fall, we brought back Network Talks to educate and equip our network of supporters on critical needs in New York City.

Our spring event focused on Understanding Food Insecurity in Our City, and we asked various speakers to join us in sharing their knowledge.

We were excited to have nationally recognized speaker Joel Berg, CEO of Hunger Free America give an overview of food insecurity and share now the number of food insecure New Yorkers in our city has increased to $1.3 million.

Karl Chan, Director of Partnerships, The Bowery Mission then spoke about our biblical call to care about neighbors who are food insecure.

Afterward, Karl moderated a conversation between: Marian Hutchins of The Father's Heart Ministries, Carolyn Marko of 9 Million Reasons, and Zac Martin of both Next Step Community Church and City Relief.

What we learned was why food insecurity remains an increasing concern in our city, and how issues like poverty, health issues, and maturing age can contribute decreased, consistent access to food. After our panel, our audience also asked specific questions to understand the issue more. (Watch our full program here.) As our event closed, we offered soup and bread to our attendees as a way to reflect on the many New Yorkers who depend on our city's many food pantries and meal programs.

We also want to encourage our broader network to remain engaged with us in helping hungry New Yorkers. Here are ways to continue praying, serving, and giving, plus our pocket-sized Resource Card that can be printed and distributed.

Visit our Network Talks page to learn more about recent events.

Photos by Austin Wideman (www.austinwideman.com)