Since it opened its doors in 1980, Yorkville Common Pantry (YCP) has grown from a small neighborhood pantry and soup kitchen serving 30 families into one of New York City’s largest, most active and innovative organizations, providing food and support services to 100,000 New Yorkers and over two million meals each year. While the programs have expanded and changed over the past 29 years, YCP’s mission to reduce hunger and promote dignity and self-sufficiency has remained constant. In addition, YCP’s commitment to innovation and collaboration in order to better serve the community’s needs has defined its unique standing among other food programs in New York City.

In 1992 we completely renovated our East Harlem facility to accommodate homeless people. At the same time, we also began Project Dignity, a comprehensive day service program for homeless New Yorkers. Project Dignity includes Breakfast and a wide range of services provided on site, with the support of two case managers. In addition to food, YCP provides case management services; showers, laundry, haircuts and mail service for homeless men and women. Unique to YCP is its policy not to turn away anyone who asks for assistance. A person who comes to YCP will not leave empty-handed—receiving either a warm meal, emergency groceries, a brown bag meal, Pantry membership, a MetroCard, or a referral to housing or other food pantries closer to their home. In the past 17 years, we have been successful in finding jobs for hundreds of our Project Dignity clients, many of whom were housed in our Project Dignity overnight shelter.

On April 1, 2000 we began New York City’s first “Weekend Pantry,” serving the working poor and those people preparing themselves for work. The program serves low-income families who need food, but who have work/training/educational responsibilities, which prohibit them from attending weekday emergency programs. This program provides over 500 poor families with weekly nine-meal grocery packages for each family member.

In 2003 we started 24|7 YCP, which provides ready-to-eat brown bag meals that are available for clients to eat immediately during the emergency pantry intake process. Families and individuals, who have difficulty accessing soup kitchens, especially during holidays, rely on this very important service. Recognizing that families and individuals who experience a food emergency do not experience this emergency in isolation, 24|7 YCP makes donated clothing available to families. Infant formula, food and disposable diapers are provided when available.

In 2004, it became evident that YCP would need to renovate its facilities to improve efficiency of services and boost the atmosphere of dignity that is the organization's hallmark. The facilities were inadequate in several respects, among them:

• 1) There was no interior waiting space, resulting in block-long lines of clients outside the building in the heat of summer and the severe cold of winter.
• 2) Handicapped and infirm elderly people in need of food had no access into the building, necessitating runners to deliver food to them on the street.
• 3) The building had insufficient space to run more than one program at once, requiring the constant shifting of various programs operating in inadequate space.
• 4) The cold and dry storage space necessary to handle large food donations was insufficient.
• 5) The kitchen facilities and equipment were inadequate for the number of meals served.
• 6) Lack of proper drainage resulted in periodic flooding
• 7) The antiquated electrical system presented inconvenient outages and caused concern for the safety of the building, which had insufficient fire suppression.

With a generous grant from the Robin Hood Foundation, YCP was able to draw up plans for a complete renovation of the building and to begin the process of a capital campaign. In June of 2006, YCP moved its programs to temporary locations in the neighborhood and demolition began. In May of 2007, we opened our newly renovated facility. After temporarily relocating to three facilities, we were delighted to return to our bright, clean, expanded and renovated space, all without a lapse in service to our clients. The renovation created a space that provided many improvements, among them:

• 1) Our clients have access to generous indoor waiting space, allowing them to wait comfortably, and providing a greater degree of dignity in the process.
• 2) Handicapped and elderly clients have access via a ramp and an elevator.
• 3) Larger indoor space allows for existing programs to run concurrently. There is an improved layout for Pantry Program distribution. In addition, the space allows for an increase in the number and quality of services available to clients, e.g. room to increase the nutritional education component of our programs and the ability to offer additional support services provided by outside agencies within YCP premises.
• 4) Cold and dry storage space increased, enabling YCP to accept larger deliveries of food.
• 5) Improved kitchen facilities.
• 6) An upgraded infrastructure making the building code-compliant, safer and more efficient.

With expanded office and waiting space, YCP has strengthened its linkages with complementary organizations that can assist in improving the quality of life for our families, including:

• 1) Medical screening services provided by Mt. Sinai Medical Center's community services;
• 2) HIV/AIDS and STD outreach material and testing provided by Harlem United to our breakfast program clients;
• 3) YCP has become a test site for a paperless Food Stamps application office through a collaborative effort with the New York Coalition Against Hunger;
• 4) The Urban Justice Center provides legal assistance to clients regarding entitlements;
• 5) YCP works with the Psychiatric Project for Outreach to the Homeless (PPOH) to assess and counsel homeless people;
• 6) YCP partners with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to train staff and volunteers to take and assess the blood pressure of our clients, referring any clients who need further medical assistance to a physician or local emergency room;
• 7) Through a partnership with FoodChange/Food Bank for New York City, YCP operates healthy cooking and nutrition classes.

YCP has also actively joined the fight for advocacy and policy changes by partnering with organizations such as New York City Coalition Against Hunger and Partnership for the Homeless. And there are reasons for hope: this past year saw a significant increase in Food Stamp enrollment, largely due to food-assistance programs like YCP that also incorporate case management services. Further, while many emergency food providers have been forced to cut back their distribution and programs in the last several years, YCP has been able to expand and improve services to better meet the needs of the community and the city. We have been able to grow as an organization due to the efforts of a diverse, dynamic network of staff, board members, public and private schools, religious organizations, individual volunteers and donors, foundations, businesses and professional partners.

The national recession is being felt particularly hard in New York City . There is a rapidly growing need for emergency food. We are seeing many more clients, due to the closing of other pantries and meal programs in the area and the economic situation that reached new levels in the fall. We find ourselves having to purchase more wholesale food rather than relying on food donations, while keeping in mind the nutritional value of the products we are buying. We are committed to serving all who seek our help, consistent with our mission of promoting dignity and self-sufficiency.