Hour Children Community Outreach and Food Pantry (HCCO) provides a client-choice supermarket style food pantry. www.hourchildren.org
Good Food Makes The Difference - In Hour Children's Food Pantry our mission is to address emergency hunger and the related health issues faced daily by low-income families. Hour Children Community Outreach provides a client-choice supermarket style food pantry organized to match the color coding of the USDA food pyramid’s food groups. We work to provide healthy and nutritious food in the most non-
judgmental and respectful way possible. We also want to build community and to help to empower our Long Island City and Astoria neighborhood residents to identify and to advocate for resources to nurture and sustain themselves. Hour Children Staff and Volunteers help clients shop “supermarket-style” with a smile, by providing a full, customer–choice food pantry allowing participants to shop grocery-store-style. Our staff and dedicated volunteers provide top quality grocery items, fresh vegetables and fruits, meats and fish, and select breads and bakery goods (Erik Baard’s Biking Bread campaign delivers fresh and local baked goods to the pantry from Pain D’Avignon on Mondays and Thursdays). Our volunteers assist preparing produce for distribution. We also label foods that are healthier choices like those with no sodium or low sodium, no added sugar and whole grains. HCCO's program also offers a variety of Community Outreach services and activities. We’re able to provide assistance with applying for and maintaining SNAP benefits (formerly the food stamp program). We also work with our low-income, elderly, and disabled patrons to file their taxes and receive their refunds. We have partnered with NYCCAH (New York City Coalition Against Hunger) in the creation of the Food Action Board (FAB). Meeting are bi-monthly with local community members and pantry participants at Hour Children Food Pantry. FAB engages in interactive workshops and trainings on community organizing and advocacy around food and social justice issues. In addition, our pantry is the Long Island City hub-site of the Local Produce Link Program (LPL) a joint project of Hunger Prevention Nutrition Assistance Program (HPNAP), United Way of NYC and Just Food, which delivers 200 lbs a week of organic, locally-grown, fresh produce from the Farm at Miller’s Crossing. HCCO and four other community programs, East River Development Alliance (Bread For Life), Steinway Child and Family Services, Greenpoint Reform Church, Child Development and Support Corporation (CDSC) make up the hub. Through the LPL program a myriad of dynamic nutrition and cooking events and education are offered throughout the year to our pantry participants. Finally, in partnership with Build It GreenI NYC, Hour Food Pantry is a compost drop-off site, accessible seven days a week. For more information contact Abby Burke at 718-482-8226.
