>>> 35 YEARS AGO THE NONPROFIT

ORGANIZATION CITY HARVEST WAS

FOUNDED BY A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO

RECOGNIZED TWO MAJOR PROBLEMS

FACING OUR CITY, HUNGER AND FOOD

WASTE.

THESE PIONEERS TOOK A FOOD VAN

TO RESTAURANTS ALL OVER

MANHATTAN TO RESCUE FOOD BY

DELIVERING IT TO SOUP KITCHENS.

TODAY THEY'RE HELPING MORE THAN

1.3 MILLION NEW YORKERS.

WE'RE SHINING A LIGHT ON THE

GOOD WORK OF CITY HARVEST.

HERE WITH THE LATEST INFORMATION

ON WHAT THE ORGANIZATION IS UP

TO IS CITY HARVEST CEO JILLIE

STEVENS.

JILLIE, WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM.

>> THANK YOU FOR SLHAVING ME.

>> WITH SO MUCH EMPHASIS ON THE

CITY HARVEST PROGRAM, TELL US

WHAT YOU DO.

>> CITY HARVEST IS ON THE ROAD

SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, RESCUING

GREAT FOOD FROM RESTAURANTS,

WHOLESALERS ACROSS THE REGION

AND GETTING THAT GREAT FOOD TO

HUNGRY NEW YORKERS.

WE'RE SERVING CLOSE TO 1.3

MILLION NEW YORKERS.

MANY OF THEM ARE GOING TO BE

HOMELESS.

MANY MORE HAVE HOMES, HAVE JOBS,

JUST IN ONE OF THE MOST

EXPENSIVE CITIES IN THE COUNTRY,

IF NOT THE MOST EXPENSIVE.

IT'S NOT ALWAYS EASY TO GET BY,

PAY RENT, UTILITY COSTS AND

STILL HAVE MONEY TO PUT FOOD ON

THE TABLE.

>> NEW YORK ALSO SEES KIDS WHO

HAVE A HARD TIME GETTING FREE

LUNCHES AT SCHOOLS AS WELL.

>> RECENTLY THERE WAS A MOVE TO

MAKE UNIVERSAL BREAKFAST AND

LUNCH FREE FOR NEW YORK CITY

PUBLIC SCHOOL CHILDREN, WHICH

WAS A GREAT ADVANCE FOR THE

CITY.

CLOSE TO ONE IN FIVE CHILDREN IN

NEW YORK CITY DON'T KNOW WHERE

THEIR NEXT MEAL IS GOING TO COME

FROM.

SO THAT SCHOOL MEAL IS

ESPECIALLY CRITICAL FOR THEM.

CITY HARVEST WORKS HARD TO MAKE

SURE THAT AGENCIES LIKE SOUP

KITCHENS AND FOOD PANTRIES HAVE

WHAT THEY NEED THEN TO SUPPORT

THESE FAMILIES DURING THOSE LONG

SUMMER WEEKS WHEN SCHOOL'S OUT

AND FAMILIES NEED EXTRA FOOD TO

HELP KEEP THEIR CHILDREN GOING.

SO A LOT NEEDS TO BE DONE AND

THERE HAVE BEEN SOME GOOD

ADVANCES.

>> WITH SO MUCH TALK ABOUT HOW

PEOPLE NEED TO LESSEN THEY WERE

FOOTPRINT AND USE LESS.

IS THAT SOMETHING THAT PERHAPS

THE RESTAURANTS, I DO UNDERSTAND

THAT WOULD IMPACT A GROUP LIKE

CITY HARVEST, BUT IF THE

RESTAURANTS JUST USED LESS FOOD,

THEN THEY WOULDN'T HAVE ALL THIS

EXCESS WASTE.

>> IT'S A REALLY INTERESTING

QUESTION, BECAUSE CITY HARVEST

WAS FOUNDED 35 YEARS AGO.

WE WERE FOUNDED BY VOLUNTEER WHO

WENT TO RESTAURANTS TO PICK UP

THAT EXTRA FOOD TO DELIVER IT TO

SOUP KITCHENS AND FOOD PANTRIES

THROUGHOUT THE CITY.

OF THE FOOD THAT WE COLLECT,

VERY LITTLE OF IT WILL COME FROM

RESTAURANTS.

RESTAURANTS DO A VERY GOOD JOB,

THEY DON'T HAVE MUCH LEFT OVER

FOOD.

WE'RE BRINGING IN ATRACTOR

TRAILER LOADS, A LOT OF EMPHASIS

ON FRUITS AND VEGETABLES.

A LOT OF THE FOOD THAT WE RESCUE

IS FRESH FRUIT AND VEGETABLES.

SO THAT'S COMING UP IN LARGE

QUANTITIES.

IMAGINE A FARMER UPSTATE WHO'S

GROWN A FIELD OF RADISHES AND

THEY'RE JUST A LITTLE BIT TOO

BIG.

CITY HARVEST CAN GET THOSE

RADISHES.

NOW WE CAN GET THAT FOOD AND GET

IT OUT TO THE FAMILIES WHO NEED

IT.

THE FARMERS ARE NOT LOSING THEIR

INVESTMENT IN THE CROP, AND SO A

LOT OF OUR FOOD IS COMING THAT

WAY NOW, BIG, BIG TRUCKS AND

LARGE SCALE.

>> IT SOUNDS LIKE IT'S GROWN

INTO ITS OWN ECONOMY AT THIS

POINT.

>> IT REALLY HAS.

AND WE'RE NOT GROWING FOR THE

SAKE OF GROWING, WE'RE GROWING

BECAUSE THE HUNGER AND THE NEED

IN NEW YORK CITY IS STILL

PERSISTENTLY HIGH.

WITH 1.3 MILLION NEW YORKERS NOT

ALWAYS KNOWING WHERE THEIR NEXT

MEAL IS COMING FROM, AND CLOSE

TO HALF OF FOLKS IN THE CITY IN

FACT, STRUGGLING TO MAKE ENDS

MEET, WE HAVE TO GROW AND HELP

PEOPLE PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE.

BECAUSE FOOD IS AN ELASTIC

EXPENSE.

YOU CAN'T DECIDE NOT TO PAY YOUR

RENT OR ELECTIELECTRICITY, BUT N

DECIDE TO GO TO A SOUP KITCHEN

OR A FOOD PANTRY.

>> THERE CONDI CONTINUES TO BE

IN THE CITY.

IT CALLS FOR US TO FIND MORE

FOOD, GET IT INTO THE HANDS OF

THOSE NEARLY 1.3 MILLION NEW

YORKERS, CONTINUED EMPHASIS ON

FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES.

WHAT WE HEAR FROM THE AGENCIES

THAT WE TAKE THAT FOOD TO, IS

THAT THEY WOULD LIKE A GREATER

VARIETY.

SO WE'RE PUTTING EMPHASIS ON IF

WE CAN GET SOME DIFFERENT

FRUITS, IF WE CAN GET THE CITRUS

IN, THE GOODS ALWAYS LOVE THE

CITRUS THAT WE CAN DELIVER.

WE ARE CONTINUING TO GROW, AND

THERE'S STILL A LOT TO DO TO GET

FOOD TO OUR HUNGRY MAKES.

>> THANK YOU FOR JOINING US AND

TELLING US WHAT YOU'VE BEEN UP

TO FOR THE PAST 35 YEARS.

>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.