This petition is to advocate for the schools in New York to opt into the law passed in 2017, encouraging schools to donate their food excess to the nonprofits who will donate this food to the less fortunate.

New York City has the most food insecurity of any city in the nation. 1 in 4 people in NYC experience hunger on a regular basis. According to the Coalition for the Homeless, in NYC families make up 70% of the homeless in shelters, 40% of those are children. In NYC, 10% of the children in schools are homeless.

While the United States is seeing the worst homelessness and hunger in the history of the nation, 133 billion tons of food goes to waste every year. There is literally enough good food going to waste that no one in America should be going hungry.

In September of 2017, a law was passed for all schools in New York from the Pre-K to the University-Level to donate their excess food to charitable organizations that can distribute their excess food to the homeless and poor. I am the Founder & President of a 501(c)3 Nonprofit, Catering for the Homeless, Inc., which is utilizing food excess from catering companies, schools, restaurants, and groceries stores for the millions of New Yorkers who need it. Catering for the Homeless has provided 30,000 meals, 13,000 toiletries, and 210 bags of clothes for the homeless and poor throughout NYC so far.

Almost 100 schools have been contacted to get on-board with this new law, but until the Department of Education (DOE) opts into this law, most of the schools will not get on-board, and will continue to throw away perfectly good, quality, untouched food into the trash on a regular basis. If you believe that the schools in New York State and City should donate their food excess to the hungry in their communities to alleviate this hunger crisis, thank you for signing this petition. 

Visit www.cateringforthehomeless.com for more information. To view more information about Senator Joseph Addabbo's Food Law encouraging schools to donate their food excess to the charities who can distribute their food to the hungry and poor in the community please visit: https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/joseph-p-addabbo-jr/senate-approves-bill-co-sponsored-addabbo-encourage