Community Impact

The Impact: FYI makes contributions in a multitude of ways. Each year we are doing our part to make a difference in the lives of young people, which in turn, is creating community impact and sends positive ripples across all levels of the community.

• Our Youth Participants: Our program team focuses on creating an atmosphere that encourages independence, mastery of skills, a sense of belonging, and generosity to others. We are constantly challenging our youth to strive for success, having a direct impact on their development.
• Our Food Pantry Clients: The Helping Hands Food Pantry clients are mainly senior citizens and families of the working poor. Our youth and staff directly impact clients through pantry distribution days plus deliveries to homebound seniors.
• Distribution Projects: Men, women, and children in the Washington Heights community benefit directly from our various distribution projects.
  
  

  -Food Pantry	-Traveling Clothing Bank	-I Care Kits
  -Books	-Deliveries to Senior Citizens	-Sleeping Bags*
  -Pillows*	-Mittens*	-PB&J Sandwiches*
  -Holiday Cards for random individuals*	-Volunteering at local soup kitchens	-Annual Community Service Event (Sleeping Bag-A-Thon)

  
  Note: Activities followed by a * are items which the participants make by hand, from scratch.
• Beautification Projects: FYI has a secondary-level impact on other community-based organizations, schools, landlords and tenants, city departments, and local businesses through our beautification projects. FYI collaborates with various groups in their efforts to support the community. We also impact families and individuals via our summer job training, summer day camp, and parents group. Additionally, the presence of our recently constructed, free-standing, four-story building, has made a significant positive impact on 171st Street.
  
  

  -Food Pantry Maintenance	-Park Clean-ups	-Block Clean-ups
  -Gardening	-Landscaping	-Mural Painting
  -Mailbox Painting	-Fire Hydrant Painting	-Park Bench Painting
  -Light Post Painting	-Annual Community Event (Serve-A-Thon)
  -Removing Graffiti from walls	-Writing Positive Messages on the Sidewalk

• Larger Scale Impact: FYI’s community impact helps strengthen the social fabric of the community. We keep young people off the streets, engaged in meaningful activities, which assists in preventing teen pregnancy, gang participation, crime, and other negative behaviors associated with the lack of supervision of an adolescent. FYI strives to produce achievement–oriented individuals who are an asset to their community.
  

People Served (a modest estimate)

Summer Program
Distribution Projects: 1,345
SYEP Summer Job Training: 20
Summer Day Camp: 25

Fall Program
Distribution Projects: 2,200
Mentoring: 20
Parent Group: 20
Community Service Requirement: 40
Core Population: 50

Grand Total
(within the full program year of 2009-2010):
Summer Program:
1,390 + Fall Program: 2,328 = 3,718
Unduplicated Total: 2,086
Seniors: 536
Individuals Adults & Families: 964
Young People:586

Breakdown of Unduplicated Totals

Estimated Beautification & Distribution Totals (within a Full Program year):

➢ Food Pantry: Approximately 200,000 LBS. of food & 5,000 bags distributed
➢ Sleeping bags: Approximately 50
➢ PB&J sandwiches: Approximately 200
➢ Mural Painting: 12 put up throughout the community in FYI’s existence
➢ Park Clean-ups: Approximately 6 different parks
➢ Block Clean-ups: Approximately 4 different sidewalks
➢ Gardening: Approximately 6 different gardens
➢ Landscaping: For approximately for 3 different sites
➢ Mailbox Painting: Approximately 50
➢ Fire Hydrant Painting: Approximately 30
➢ Park Bench Painting: Approximately 20
➢ Light Post Painting: Approximately 20
➢ Removing Graffiti from walls: Approximately 3 white washed
➢ Writing Positive Messages on the Sidewalk: Approximately 30
➢ Books distributed: Approximately 25
➢ Pillows distributed: Approximately 100
➢ Mittens: Approximately 100
➢ Holiday Cards for Random individuals: Approximately 50

Helping Hands Food Pantry

The Helping Hands Food Pantry is the only youth-run, adult-facilitated food relief program in NYC. Housed in the Holy Trinity Church (20 Cummings Street, New York, NY), HHFB is open every second and fourth Friday of the month, from 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

FYI participants have helped more than 5,000 families stock their cupboards with at least 3-4 meals each month. On average the food pantry serves between 200 - 300 households a month. FYI staff and youth run all aspects of the pantry operations - unloading deliveries, maintaining the shelves, packing bags for pantry pick-up days, and supervising younger volunteers. Service groups deliver food to homebound seniors, and work at the pantry on distribution days.

One of the first youth pantry teams helped convince New York Presbyterian Medical Center (our neighborhood's largest employer) to organize a workplace-based food drive in November and December. Today, the pantry is proud to count several schools and organizations amongst its partners in hosting food drives to stock the HHFP. Some of our partners are: PS/IS 187; Muscota New School; Amistad Dual Language School; Fieldston/Ethical Culture School; Professional Performing Arts School; and the Hebrew Tabernacle Congregation

Food Pantry Statistics