Hunger is a constant, and disproportionately affects the most vulnerable among us.
In any season, pantry lines form before the sun rises; people are anxious to get the best offerings, fresh food priced out of reach in supermarkets. Hunger disproportionately affects the most vulnerable among us, mainly women, children, seniors, the working poor and people with disabilities.
Every day in New York City, thousands of people stand in line for hours, waiting for a bag of groceries at local food pantries.
Every day in New York City, thousands of people stand in line for hours, waiting for a bag of groceries at local food pantries.
Catalina Diaz and her husband, retired factory workers, at home in the Carey Gardens housing project in Coney Island
Catalina Diaz and her husband, retired factory workers, at home in the Carey Gardens housing project in Coney Island.
In Midwood, families line up on Fridays for bread for Sabbath dinner.
Keeping Kosher is hard for families who live in poverty. The food tends to be more expensive and the number of Kosher pantries is limited. In Midwood, Brooklyn, families line up on Fridays for bread for Sabbath dinner.
In Bed-Stuy, families in transition depend on the Child Development Center pantry
In Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, families in transition depend on the Child Development Center pantry.
Claudia Morones, a high school senior, w her baby girl and sister at the River Fund in Queens. 3 yrs later, she is in tech college, studying auto repair.
Claudia Morones, a high school senior, in line with her baby girl and her little sister at the River Fund, in Queens. Three years later, Claudia is in tech college, studying auto repair.
Do Mui Lee lives alone in a rooming house and visits the pantry at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.
Do Mui Lee lives alone in a rooming house and visits the pantry at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.
The Hernandez Family used the pantry at their children's school, PS 360 in the Brox.
James Lukoski, noted photojournalist whose work appeared in LIFE, Newsweek, and NYTMag. Met at Project Hospitality on Staten Island. He passed away this summer.
James Lukoski was a noted photojournalist whose work appeared in LIFE, Newsweek and The New York Times Magazine. Here he was on the pantry line at Project Hospitality on Staten Island. He suffered from mental health issues, and passed away last summer.
Sandra Mathiesson waited more than two hours for her turn at the pantry.
Originally conceived as an emergency ration, with staples for three meals for three days, the pantry bag is the new normal for some families.
Sandra Mathiesson waited more than two hours for her turn at the pantry.
A home healthcare worker in line at The Action Center, Rockaway Beach
One in five people served by food pantries has a job. At The Action Center, which was founded in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, in Far Rockaway, home healthcare worker stands in line.
All Saint's Pantry in Harlem
There are over 600 food pantries in the five boroughs with an estimated 1.4 million New Yorkers relying on assistance from either pantries or soup kitchens to get enough food to eat, according to the Food Bank for New York City, which stocks the pantries.
Here, people line up at the All Saint's Pantry at East 129th Street in Harlem. One of the most recent neighborhoods in NYC to gentrify, Harlem studio apartments now sell for $450,000.