Agencywide, Employee-Driven Food Drive Initiative to Feed More Than 1,700 Families in Need Over the Holidays
MTA Partners with Local Food Banks City Harvest, Feeding Westchester, Food Bank of the Hudson Valley, The Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County and Island Harvest
See Photos of Today’s Deliveries
See Video of Today’s Deliveries
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) employees, in coordination with officers from the MTA Police Department, finished delivering 5,301 pounds in donations from its employee-driven food drive campaign “Stuff-A-Bus” to help provide food for those in need during the holiday season. The food drive included donations from New York City Transit subways and buses, Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North Railroad and MTA Bridges and Tunnels.
The Authority partnered with five local food banks: City Harvest, Feeding Westchester, Food Bank of the Hudson Valley, The Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County and Island Harvest. Donations were collected at employee facilities throughout the MTA’s agencies.
NYC Transit’s 9/11 Bus, which was severely damaged in the World Trade Center attacks and has since been restored and is reserved for special events, picked up donations from bus depots and drove them to City Harvest’s warehouse in Long Island City. LIRR donations were loaded onto a train at Jamaica bound for Ronkonkoma where Island Harvest collected them. Metro-North, with help from MTAPD, began making deliveries to the food banks in its territory.
“Transit heroes have kept our customers moving since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, and now they’re paying it forward to help those in need,” said Patrick J. Foye, MTA Chairman and CEO. “I want to thank our partners at MTAPD for making deliveries to ensure these five great local food banks are well stocked through the holiday season.”
“Our team of heroes is here for our communities and continues to do whatever it takes to help New Yorkers get through this pandemic, said Craig Cipriano, President of MTA Bus Company and SVP of Buses for New York City Transit. This has been a challenging time for all of us, and I am proud of our efforts to help alleviate hunger during the holidays.”
"Millions of New Yorkers are struggling to get meals on their tables and it is only getting worse as we face a second wave of COVID-19,” said Ellen Granger, Manager, Donor Relations and Supply Chain at City Harvest. “We are so grateful to the MTA and countless food donors and supporters who continue to step up to ensure our neighbors across the city have enough to eat this holiday season.”
At a time when food insecurity is increasing, thanks to the generosity of MTA employees, 1,765 families will be able to eat during the holidays.
Feeding America food banks across the nation have experienced a surge in demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the beginning of March through the end of October, food banks have served 4.2 billion meals nationwide. Over 80% of food banks are serving more people now than they were a year ago. Due to the pandemic, Feeding America estimates that 1 in 6 Americans could face hunger.
Anyone wishing to donate food or volunteer at their local food bank can start by visiting Feeding America’s website or any local food bank to learn more.