To combat food insecurity among children, Zara Charitable Foundation announced a new 12-month food program for families in Queens. Mannan Supermarkets will distribute food donations to families the Gaton Foundation serves.
“Food prices are increasing at the same time inflation is eating away at the value of money at the same time, food benefits are vanishing, making it three times more expensive for families to afford to eat healthily,” said Mahinur Rahman of Mannan Supermarket. “When Zara suggested we work together to secure fresh, culturally relevant food to help people make ends meet, we were proud to supply the need.”
This announcement comes after the federal cuts made to nutrition programs–mainly Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).
The U.S. Department of Agriculture states that 432,960 children in New York City face food insecurity, a higher rate of which are families of color. According to Feeding America, one in five children in Queens face food insecurities.
The program had started on March 1 and caters to over 200 families through Richmond Hill High School. These families can receive foods such as lentils, roti, tortillas, rice and more.
“Many families are struggling to put food on the table and after both SNAP and WIC resources got reduced, we knew how important it was to step up and help hardworking families maintain access to fresh, nutritious food,” said Tony Subraj of Zara Charitable Foundation.
The two organizations will keep the program active seven days a week in its 12-month plan, with volunteers distributing food to families’ doorsteps.
