The Coalition for the Homeless announced today the launch of its Corporate and Law Firm Sponsorship campaign benefiting the Grand Central Food Program (GCFP), a mobile soup kitchen that delivers life-saving meals to nearly 1,000 people each night on the streets of New York City through a fleet of vans.
Sponsors of the program will have their logos added to the Grand Central Food Program vans as they stop at over 31 sites throughout the city, 365 days a year. An initial sponsor of the program includes Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP. The sponsors, in addition to providing important financial support, will encourage interested employees to volunteer for the GCFP to help distribute hot meals to homeless and hungry New Yorkers.
“After severe cutbacks in government funding in the past few years, we’ve been struggling to serve all those on the streets who rely on the GCFP,” said Dave Giffen, Executive Director of the Coalition for the Homeless. “It’s been truly inspiring to see New York’s legal and corporate communities respond by stepping up to help us continue this critical program at a time when homelessness in New York is skyrocketing. We would love to see all of the major NYC firms involved in this campaign.”
“The Sponsorship Program is an easy way for our firm to both support and get more directly involved with Coalition’s great work,” said Paul Pearlman, Managing Partner of Kramer Levin. “Being part of an effort that’s serving such a basic and critical need of homeless people in this city is very meaningful to all of us.”
As homelessness in New York City hits record levels, with more than 47,000 people – including 20,000 children – sleeping in emergency shelters tonight, relief services throughout the city are being stretched thin. Nearly half of all food pantries and soup kitchens already turn people away on a daily basis.
About the Grand Central Food Program
Homeless men and women who live rough on city streets are the most isolated and hardest to reach, and are at tremendous risk of malnutrition. The Coalition's Grand Central Food Program, a mobile soup kitchen that stops at 31 sites throughout Manhattan and the Bronx every night of the year, meets this challenge head on. Unlike a traditional soup kitchen, our staff and volunteers bring the food directly to where the most vulnerable people are struggling to survive - even amidst the harshest weather, black-outs, and other obstacles. For many homeless New Yorkers, this nightly meal is their only meal of the day and their only contact with someone who cares.
Each night, the fleet of vans delivers life-saving meals of hearty stew, bread, fresh fruit, and juice or milk to nearly 1,000 people. During the past year, the Grand Central Food Program served more than 360,000 healthy meals to homeless and hungry New Yorkers. In addition to providing meals, the Grand Central Food Program distributes clothing, blankets, sleeping bags and personal hygiene items such as toiletries and underwear.
Learn more at: http://www.coalitionforthehomeless.org/programs/grand-central-food-program
About the Coalition for the Homeless
The Coalition for the Homeless is the nation's oldest advocacy and direct service organization helping homeless men, women and children. We are dedicated to the principle that affordable housing, sufficient food, and the chance to work for a living wage are fundamental rights in a civilized society. Since our inception in 1981, the Coalition has worked through litigation, public education, and direct services to ensure that these goals are realized.
The Coalition helps over 3,500 people each day with the tools and support to reclaim their lives. Through housing, job training, emergency food, crisis intervention, and youth programs, we rescue men, women and children with nowhere else to turn. We understand what works, what doesn't, and fight for cost-effective solutions. Our unique blend of policy work and frontline services allows us to advocate effectively on behalf of New York's most vulnerable citizens – offering them hope, opportunity for economic independence and a brighter future.
The Coalition’s annual State of the Homeless report serves as the definitive source for information about – and real solutions to – homelessness in New York City. Since our inception, we have demonstrated that there is indeed an end in sight, and proper and strategic investment of resources can make homelessness a thing of the past.
Learn more at: http://www.coalitionforthehomeless.org