City Harvest

What City Harvest does

City Harvest is New York City's first and largest food rescue organization, founded in 1983 and incorporated as City Harvest, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit headquartered at 150 52nd Street, Brooklyn, NY. The organization rescues surplus, nutritious food from more than 1,000 donors — including restaurants, grocery stores, food manufacturers, and corporate kitchens — and distributes it free of charge to food-insecure New Yorkers through a two-channel model: a network of 500+ partner soup kitchens and food pantries, and a direct-to-neighborhood Mobile Markets program that has operated for more than 20 years. The core technology is the logistics and cold-chain operation that moves perishable food from donor to recipient within tight time windows, coupled with food-safety compliance and route management; there is no proprietary software platform, app, or documented AI/ML component.

City Harvest's revenue is generated entirely through voluntary donations and event fundraising across three primary streams: individual giving (online, direct mail, recurring), corporate partnerships (FreshDirect, Paris Baguette, and others, plus high-profile celebrity gifts including a $1M contribution from Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce), and event revenue anchored by an annual gala (the 2018 35th-anniversary gala raised $4.6M; the 2024 gala alone funded the equivalent of 10 million meals) together with Fire & Ice, Celebrity Chefs & Friends, Canstruction NYC, and seasonal food drives. The organization is a member of the Feeding America network and operates as a designated component of NYC's Emergency Food Program, with additional program lines in nutrition and culinary education, disaster response, and an owned event venue. The served population comprises low-income individuals, working-aged households, children, and seniors experiencing food insecurity across NYC's five boroughs, with demand intensifying amid federal SNAP cut risk (an estimated 123,000 NYC residents potentially affected) and an 84% increase in food pantry and soup kitchen visits compared with 2019.

Name

City Harvest

Legal name

City Harvest, Inc.

Website

https://cityharvest.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

City Harvest is NYC's first and largest food rescue nonprofit, founded in 1983, that rescues surplus food from 1,000+ donors and redistributes it free of charge to food-insecure New Yorkers through 500+ partner pantries and its Mobile Markets program, funded by individual, corporate, and event donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Rescue and Hunger Relief Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421), Community Food Services (624210)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Organics (Food/Yard) Collection (Residential & Commercial) (EUAIAAAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Source-Separated Organics (SSO) Collection & Hauling (EUAIAEAA)

Keywords

• Food rescue services
• Hunger relief programs
• Food distribution network
• Mobile food markets
• Nutrition education

Headquarters

HQ city

Long Island City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: City Harvest receives donations from individuals through online portals, direct mail campaigns, and event participation. The organization runs various donation drives and fundraising campaigns.
2. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate donors provide financial support, food donations, and in-kind contributions. Notable corporate partnerships include FreshDirect, Paris Baguette, and major celebrity-backed donations such as the $1M Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce donation.
3. Event Revenue: Annual fundraising events including the gala, Fire & Ice tasting event, and Celebrity Chefs & Friends tournament generate significant revenue. The 2024 gala reportedly raised enough to provide 10 million meals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

City Harvest is NYC's first and largest food rescue organization, operating a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that rescues surplus nutritious food from more than 1,000 food donors and distributes it free of charge to food-insecure New Yorkers. Distribution occurs through Mobile Markets that bring fresh produce directly into underserved neighborhoods and through a network of 500+ partner soup kitchens and food pantries.

Product overview

City Harvest is NYC's first and largest food rescue organization, operating as a single unified nonprofit service rather than a platform architecture. The organization operates through interconnected programs: Food Rescue serves as the core activity of rescuing surplus food; Food Distribution channels this food to partner pantries; Mobile Markets provide direct free produce distribution to underserved neighborhoods; Nutrition Education offers dietary guidance; Disaster Response addresses emergency food needs; and The Venue serves as an event space for fundraising. These programs work together to rescue nutritious food and deliver it to New Yorkers experiencing hunger.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Food Rescue

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 4 million New Yorkers served through food rescue network
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Feeding AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity Harvest is a member of the Feeding America network, the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief organization. This affiliation provides access to national resources, best practices, and a broader network of food banks.
• FreshDirectminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFreshDirect partners with City Harvest for annual turkey giveaway events, including an 8th Annual Turkey Giveaway in The Bronx, supporting food distribution efforts during holidays.
• NYC Emergency Food ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity Harvest serves as a key component of NYC's emergency food program alongside other food banks and emergency feeding organizations.
• Partner Food Pantries and Soup KitchenscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCity Harvest distributes rescued food to a network of 500+ partner soup kitchens and food pantries throughout NYC, who in turn serve food-insecure New Yorkers.
• Food Donors (1,000+)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity Harvest rescues food from over 1,000 food donors including restaurants, grocery stores, manufacturers, and corporate kitchens that would otherwise go to waste.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Feeding America: The nation's largest domestic hunger-relief organization and City Harvest's parent network affiliation. Operates a national federation of 200+ food banks with substantially broader geographic scope and supply chain resources.
• Meals on Wheels America: National network of 5,000+ community-based programs delivering meals primarily to seniors. Operates in an adjacent food assistance category with overlapping donor base and hunger-relief mission, but differentiated service model (home delivery to seniors).
• No Kid Hungry (Share Our Strength): National campaign focused on ending childhood hunger through advocacy, grants, and program funding. Operates adjacent to City Harvest's mission with overlapping donor demographics and broader national scope.

Emerging players

• FoodForward: A Southern California-based food rescue nonprofit that recovers surplus produce and prepared food for redistribution. Directly comparable food rescue model with a tech-forward operational approach and rapid geographic expansion.
• Food Recovery Network: National student-led nonprofit recovering surplus food from college and university dining halls. Operates a comparable food rescue model but at smaller scale and through a distinct volunteer base (students).

Direct peers

• Food Rescue US: A national nonprofit focused specifically on direct food rescue via volunteer-driven logistics, operating in multiple U.S. cities. Directly comparable service model of rescuing surplus food from donors and delivering to agencies serving food-insecure people.
• God's Love We Deliver: NYC-based nonprofit that cooks and home-delivers medically tailored meals to people living with serious illness. Comparable NYC-based food services nonprofit with overlapping donor base and volunteer infrastructure.
• Food Bank for New York City: NYC's other large-scale food rescue and food bank organization directly competing for donor dollars, food donors, and partner pantries in the same geographic market. Highly comparable mission and target beneficiary population.

Regional players

• Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York: Regional Feeding America food bank serving 23 counties in northeastern New York. Comparable food banking and distribution model but operates outside City Harvest's NYC geography.
• Long Island Cares: Long Island's regional food bank and hunger-relief organization serving Nassau and Suffolk counties. Operates the same food banking / food rescue model as City Harvest but in an adjacent, non-overlapping geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cityharvest
• Facebookfacebook.com/cityharvestnyc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/city-harvest
• Instagraminstagram.com/cityharvestnyc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about City Harvest