Feed the Frontlines NYC was started by the Di Pietro family in order to provide nourishing meals to frontliners and keep restaurant workers employed at their family restaurant, Tarallucci e Vino. Since beginning in March, Feed the Frontlines NYC has delivered over 100,000 meals to hospital workers and those facing food insecurity at over 60 hospitals, shelters, and supportive housing residences, and saved over 100 jobs at 19 restaurants—from Katz’s Delicatessen on the Lower East Side to Leche y Miel in the Bronx. In New York City, the number of residents experiencing food insecurity jumped from 1.2 million before the crisis to 2 million. As the restaurant supply chain broke down, and the virus took a toll on the economy, it became harder and harder for New Yorkers to feed themselves.

The Farmlink Project was able to deliver a shipment of 40,000 pounds of potatoes to Feed the Frontlines NYC. This delivery will contribute to both a collection of grocery bags distributed by the River Fund, and to restaurants preparing meals for people experiencing food insecurity. By connecting farmers to community-based organizations and restaurants, we sustainably combat the staggering rates of food insecurity, supply chain breakdown, and food waste due to the pandemic.