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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Barbara Hughes, Executive Director of CityBee Kitchens at Project Renewal
4:00:13
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163 sec
Barbara Hughes, Executive Director of CityBee Kitchens at Project Renewal, testified about their efforts to combat food insecurity in New York City. She highlighted the organization's extensive meal service program and culinary arts training initiative for individuals facing employment barriers.
- CityBee Kitchens serves 2.6 million meals annually to shelters, supportive housing, and senior centers across NYC.
- The organization's culinary arts training program provides education and career pathways for individuals facing employment barriers, including veterans.
- Hughes emphasized the importance of city investment to sustain and expand their programs, and expressed support for the committee's focus on alleviating food insecurity.
Barbara Hughes
4:00:13
All right.
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.