Barbara Hughes
4:00:14
My name is Barbara Hughes.
4:00:16
I am the Executive Director of CityBee Kitchens at Project Renewal, a New York City Homeless services nonprofit agency.
4:00:23
Thank you for convening this hearing.
4:00:25
For over fifty five years, Project Renewal has provided shelter, housing, health care, and employment services to New Yorkers experiencing homelessness.
4:00:33
We are grateful to the city council for its ongoing support of our programs.
4:00:37
We are proud to have partnered with the city to address some of the New York's biggest challenges, including food insecurity and hunger.
4:00:45
More than 1,200,000 New Yorkers are food insecure with over 1,800,000 receiving SNAP benefits and countless others relying on approximately 400 food pantries and 80 soup kitchens throughout the city.
4:00:58
We are encouraged to see that the general welfare committee is prioritizing legislation to make it easier for New Yorkers to apply for and receive benefits from food assistance programs.
4:01:11
CityB Kitchens, which I oversee, is a social enterprise that plays an integral role in combating food insecurity throughout New York.
4:01:19
As one of the largest food providers to New Yorkers in need, we serve 2,600,000 meals each year at shelters, supportive housing, and senior centers across the city.
4:01:29
Beyond our catering services for events and meetings, we prepare meals for people living in shelters and for other nonprofit organizations.
4:01:37
We also organize food drives and special holiday dinners to ensure families don't go hungry during the holidays.
4:01:43
And our culinary arts training program provides New Yorkers facing barriers to employment, including veterans, with worldwide, world class culinary education and pathways to fulfilling careers.
4:01:57
Many graduates secure positions in corporate kitchens, local restaurants, and within City B kitchens itself.
4:02:03
We've witnessed the powerful transformation of New Yorkers who have once faced employment barriers and are now working full time to support others facing similar challenges.
4:02:14
To sustain and expand City B kitchens and our culinary training program, we rely on city investment.
4:02:22
We thank the council for its continued support of our programs, and we applaud the priority this committee is placing on alleviating food insecurity in our city.
4:02:33
By investing in nonprofit food providers and facilitating access to SNAP and other food benefits.
4:02:39
The council plays a vital role in addressing this hunger crisis in our city.
4:02:44
I recently came across a quote that reminds me of everything I've heard today, which is democracy is a sham in the presence of hunger.
4:02:53
Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.
