New York Common Pantry

What New York Common Pantry does

New York Common Pantry (NYCP) is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit founded in 1980 (rebranded from Yorkville Common Pantry in 2012) that operates a multi-program hunger-relief and self-sufficiency platform across New York City. It serves food-insecure New Yorkers — low-income individuals and families, seniors aged 60+, and unhoused individuals — through seven integrated programs: Choice Pantry (bi-weekly grocery packages), Hot Meals, Mobile Pantry (69+ community-partner sites), Nourish (USDA CSFP senior nutrition, 18,000+ seniors monthly), Project Dignity (hygiene and case management for unhoused individuals), Help 365 (year-round benefits and case management), and Live Healthy! (nutrition education, Food MD prescription, Farm to Community produce shares, 22,000+ participants annually). Operationally, NYCP runs four brick-and-mortar locations (East Harlem; two Bronx sites) plus 200+ mobile/partner sites spanning Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Westchester County, and distributes food via an online pre-order system (Unicentric) for Choice Pantry and standard inventory/case-management systems; no public API, AI, or proprietary technology is disclosed.

The organization is funded through a diversified revenue stack: individual and corporate philanthropy (named $500k+ donors include Robin Hood Foundation and Mother Cabrini Health Foundation; Bloomberg has been a flagship partner since 2013 contributing financial support and 15,300+ volunteer hours); federal, state, and city government grants (USDA CSFP, SNAP-Ed, EFSP, NYFNYF, Hunger Prevention Assistance Program, NYC Community Food Connections); and in-kind food rescue from partners including City Harvest, Food Bank for NYC, and Restaurant Associates. NYCP is governed by an independent Board of Directors with Executive Director Stephen Grimaldi leading day-to-day operations since 2008; FY25 throughput reached 11,743,091 meals distributed across 764,625 individual visits and 6,313 newly enrolled households. The organization's donor acquisition is supported by Charity Navigator Four-Star, BBB Accredited Charity, and 2025 Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency ratings.

Name

New York Common Pantry

Legal name

New York Common Pantry, Inc.

Website

https://nycommonpantry.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

New York Common Pantry is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that reduces food insecurity across New York City through seven integrated programs — food distribution, senior nutrition, case management, and nutrition education — serving over 700,000 visits annually at four locations plus 200+ mobile partner sites.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Assistance and Hunger Relief Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (624210)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Food & Nutrition Assistance Programs (BPAIAKAF)

Keywords

• Food pantry services
• Senior nutrition programs
• Case management services
• Food rescue operations
• Nonprofit hunger relief

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual and Corporate Donations: Monetary gifts from individuals, corporations, and foundations supporting food programs, logistics, and operations. The organization receives donations at various levels from Bread and Butter major donors to $500k+ supporters like Robin Hood Foundation and Mother Cabrini Health Foundation.
2. Government Grants and Contracts: Federal funding through programs including USDA Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), SNAP-Ed for Live Healthy! nutrition education, Emergency Shelter and Feeding Program (EFSP), and New York Food for New York Families (NYFNYF). State funding includes Hunger Prevention Assistance Program and Nourish NY. City funding through Community Food Connections (CFC).
3. Food Rescue and In-Kind Donations: Accepts food donations from restaurants, caterers, food markets, supermarkets, and events that would otherwise be wasted. Food rescue operations minimize food waste while providing meals to food-insecure New Yorkers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

New York Common Pantry (NYCP) operates seven interconnected programs providing free food assistance and supportive services to food-insecure New Yorkers. Core offerings include Choice Pantry (biweekly supplemental groceries), Hot Meals Program, Mobile Pantry distribution at 69+ community sites, Nourish senior nutrition, Project Dignity hygiene and case management for unhoused individuals, Help 365 benefits case management, and Live Healthy! nutrition education.

Product overview

New York Common Pantry operates a multi-program service model addressing food insecurity through seven interconnected programs. The core offerings include: Choice Pantry (food distribution), Hot Meals Program, Mobile Pantry Program, Nourish (senior nutrition), Project Dignity (homeless services), Help 365 (case management), and Live Healthy! (nutrition education). Together these programs form a whole-person approach to reducing hunger and promoting dignity, health, and self-sufficiency.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Choice Pantry Provides fresh, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food packages to qualifying participants. Pantry packages include protein, dairy, grains, fruits, and vegetables, proportional to family size and distributed every two weeks at Manhattan and Bronx locations.
• Hot Meals Program Provides hot, nutritionally balanced meals to guests, offered dine-in or take-away at the East Harlem location Monday through Friday. Includes Brown Bag Meals To Go program for weekends and holidays.
• Mobile Pantry Program Increases access to nutritious groceries through collaboration with community-based organizations, distributing food at 69+ partner sites across Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens. Three partnership models: standard CBO partnerships, event distributions, and Zeus distributions.
• Nourish (Senior Nutrition Program) A Commodity Supplemental Food Program providing monthly nutritious food packages to seniors aged 60 and older who meet income eligibility. Includes guidance for preparing nutritious meals, nutrition education, and referrals to health and social services. Serves 18,000+ seniors monthly through 100+ mobile partner sites.
• Project Dignity Provides case management and hygiene services (showers, laundry, haircuts) to unhoused individuals at the East Harlem location. Includes assistance with public benefits, supportive housing, SSI/SSD applications, identification documents, and mail service.
• Help 365 Case management services helping guests achieve stability and access to entitled benefits 365 days a year. Includes SNAP and Medicaid applications, housing assistance, and employment referrals. Operates at Manhattan, Bronx, and mobile locations.
• Live Healthy!

Quantifiable outcome

• 11,743,091 total meals distributed in FY25
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core, major and minor.

• BloombergflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Long-term partnership since 2013 supporting NYCP's mission to reduce hunger and promote dignity, health, and self-sufficiency. Bloomberg provides financial investment, employee volunteering (4,700+ volunteer spots, 15,300+ hours), and hands-on support for food access and nutrition education programs including Live Healthy! Food MD.
• City HarvestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor in-kind donor providing rescued food to support NYCP's meal distribution programs across Manhattan and Bronx locations.
• Restaurant AssociatescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRestaurant Associates, led by CEO and NYCP Board Vice Chair Ed Brown, provides food donations through their Citadel program and is a major in-kind donor supporting hot meals program.
• New York Presbyterian HospitalmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner$25k-$49,999 donor and healthcare partner supporting nutrition and health programs.
• Starrlight PizzaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBushwick, Brooklyn micro-bakery providing organic, sustainably-made sourdough bread through NYFNYF program. Bread is distributed to Choice Pantry guests.
• Sweet Spice & HoneyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtisanal halal baked goods producer providing sweet and savory baked goods to Choice Pantry guests through NYFNYF program.
• Hudson HarvestminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHudson Valley food distributor partnering with 70+ farmers, cheesemakers, butchers, and small food producers to supply local food to NYCP.
• The Grandpa Farm (El Rancho del Abuelito)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFamily farm in Chester, NY providing fresh produce (peppers, celery, jalapeños, cabbage) to NYCP through NYFNYF program. Program has helped farm increase production and improve cash flow.
• Community-Based Organizations (Mobile Pantry)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor69+ CBOs in Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens host Mobile Pantry distributions, bringing food closer to communities with limited access to traditional food pantries.
• Food Bank for New York CitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor in-kind donor and food security partner providing rescued food and collaborating on emergency food network advocacy.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• City Harvest: NYC's largest food rescue organization and a major in-kind donor partner of NYCP. Operates the same food-rescue-and-redistribution model targeting food-insecure New Yorkers, sharing partner sites and overlapping corporate donors.
• Food Bank for New York City: NYC's primary food bank and a documented NYCP partner. Provides rescued/in-kind food, runs SNAP outreach, and operates a comparable pantry and mobile distribution infrastructure across the five boroughs.
• Project Renewal: NYC nonprofit providing food, shelter, case management, and employment services to people experiencing homelessness. Operates services directly comparable to NYCP's Project Dignity and Help 365 case management programs.
• West Side Campaign Against Hunger: Long-running NYC food pantry and Choice Pantry-style client-choice operator serving Manhattan. Comparable in scale, mission, client-choice distribution model, and case management support.
• The Bowery Mission: NYC faith-based nonprofit serving people experiencing hunger, homelessness, and poverty. Overlaps with NYCP's hot meals, pantry, and case management offerings in Manhattan.
• Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen: Long-standing NYC Chelsea-based soup kitchen serving hot meals daily to food-insecure New Yorkers. Directly comparable to NYCP's Hot Meals Program and Project Dignity services in mission and beneficiary base.

Emerging players

• God's Love We Deliver: NYC nonprofit that medically-tailors home-delivered meals to people living with serious illness. Overlaps with NYCP's Hot Meals and Live Healthy! programs and the food-as-medicine funding thesis.
• Meals on Wheels of NYC: NYC's largest home-delivered meal provider for homebound seniors. Direct overlap with NYCP's Nourish senior nutrition program and serves the same demographic against food insecurity.

Broad incumbents

• Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York: Large multi-service NYC human services agency operating food pantries, case management, housing, and senior services across boroughs. A broader incumbent with overlapping programs targeting many of the same low-income populations.

Others

• Hunger Free America: NYC-based hunger advocacy and anti-hunger nonprofit. Distinct from a direct service pantry, but deeply adjacent: conducts SNAP outreach, policy advocacy, and capacity-building work that complements NYCP's Help 365 and SNAP application services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/NYCommonPantry
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/new-york-common-pantry

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

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 New York Common Pantry