Tag: volunteer

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🍎40,000 Pounds of Produce in 1 Morning. This is How We Fight Food Waste AND Food Insecurity in NYC

Christa Avampato
Our team of volunteers at last week’s City Harvest repack event

The Repack: What Happens When a Community Shows Up

Last week, I was deeply moved by the incredible generosity and hard work of the volunteers at City Harvest. We were there because of the enormous, urgent need created by current economic pressures and the fallout of the government shutdown, which is impacting vital food assistance programs for New Yorkers.

Together, we accomplished something phenomenal:

  • We helped repack 40,000 pounds of bulk fresh produce into 7,710 household-sized bags—the second-highest number of bags ever packed at the City Harvest Food Rescue Center since 2022!
  • This food is critical right now as City Harvest ramps up to serve neighborhoods with the highest populations of SNAP recipients. They expect to distribute over 1 million more pounds of food this November than they did last November.

We showed up and showed out, and it was a joy to be part of this community effort, even though I wish it wasn’t necessary.

The NYC Food Insecurity Crisis is Real

The need for this emergency support is stark, especially as the government shutdown has delayed or complicated critical aid. Our fellow workers, friends, and neighbors are struggling to put food on the table.

  • In New York City, approximately 1.73 million residents receive SNAP benefits. That’s 1 in 5 New Yorkers.
  • In Brooklyn alone (where I live and where City Harvest has its headquarters), that number is over 700,000. That’s 1 in 4 Brooklyn residents.

This work with City Harvest is personal to me because I grew up food insecure and my family received government-backed public assistance including WIC funding and at my school I was part of the free lunch program. As an adult who climbed out of that situation though education, hard work, and the generosity of these supportive government programs, giving back means a lot to me.

Why City Harvest is a Game-Changer (A Two-Part Solution)

City Harvest doesn’t just feed people; it’s a massive champion for the environment, tackling the staggering problem of food waste head-on.

From City Harvest

How You Can Be Part of the Solution

The work we did last week is ongoing. Join the City Harvest family!

This work isn’t just about charity; it’s about Togetherhood. Let’s continue to show up for our community and ensure that healthy, quality food goes to tables, not landfills.

Click to volunteer, donate, and advocate. I hope to see you at a future City Harvest event!

Mural at the City Harvest HQ in Brooklyn, NYC
Mural at the City Harvest HQ in Brooklyn, NYC
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Fighting hunger in NYC with City Harvest

Christa Avampato
Me outside the Javits Center on Tuesday to volunteer with City Harvest

I’m smiling because this week I completed my first volunteer shift with City Harvest. With a group of 200 volunteers and staff, we rescued over 75,500 pounds of food after the close of the Fancy Food Show on Tuesday evening at the Javits Center. This food will be distributed to food pantries, soup kitchens, and community organizations all over the city to people who need our support. This work is deeply personal to me. I grew up with food insecurity (meaning we worried about where our next meal would come from) and I was a free lunch kid. 

The hunger issue in NYC is dire. 50% of working-age households in NYC are struggling to make ends meet. 1.4 million New Yorkers are food insecure. That’s nearly 1:6 New Yorkers, including 1:4 children. 

This work is also personal to me because of my passion to protect our natural world. On Tuesday, we also saved all of this food and packaging from ending up in the trash. 30% — 40% of the food in the U.S. (108 billion pounds!) is wasted every year, to say nothing of all the resources it took to create that food and packaging. This costs Americans $473 billion every year. Nearly 1/4 of all landfill waste in the U.S. is food, and it is one of the largest producers of methane gas, which is causing climate change, weather-related disasters, and hunger.

Given the scale of this challenge, I’m excited about doing more work with City Harvest and helping more New Yorkers. I hope you’ll join me — there are so many ways to be a volunteer! Visit https://www.cityharvest.org/volunteer/ to learn more.

Below are some pictures from the Tuesday event! All photos by City Harvest.

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What’s it like to foster a dog? Meet my first foster, Ace

Christa Avampato
My foster dog, Ace, from Muddy Paws Rescue NYC

Welcome to Brooklyn, Ace! I picked up my cutie foster dog from Muddy Paws Rescue NYC, and he lives up to his name. By all accounts, he is absolutely aces! Below are some photos from our first day together.

We don’t know much about his history. He’s 6 months old and 19 pounds with a cute trot that makes him look like a little fox. He was found with his siblings in Kentucky and ended up in a shelter. They all had terrible mange (a skin infection) and are healing up well now. Ace has a few bare spots where his fur is growing back. His siblings were also transported by Muddy Paws and are being fostered, too!

Despite all of the new sights, sounds, and scents in NYC, Ace is adjusting incredibly well. We’re working on crate training and he’s taking to it so quickly. He walks well on a leash though it’s clear he’s never had a leash or collar before. He does shake is head when wearing the collar trying to figure out what the heck this is! He listens well and is very smart. We’re working on some basic commands and structured walks. Though he had two accidents in my apartment when we got home for the first time yesterday, I realize now I didn’t know his cues. By this morning, I completely understood when he was telling me he needed to go. He caught on to house training at lightning speed!

Ace is definitely a velcro dog. He loves to cuddle and he’s a sweet, loving pup. Belly rubs, kisses, and pets are his favorite. Never enough love for this guy. Working out at home today with him out of his crate was hilarious to say the least. Try doing burpees and sit-ups when a dog just wants to sit in your lap!

He’s motivated by treats and affection. He doesn’t know what a toy is so hasn’t shown any interest in them (also very common for street dogs who are new to a home.)

He’s unsure about other dogs at the moment, either ignoring them, giving a bark or 2, or freezing in place when he sees a dog. This is very normal for strays as they have been taught to be wary of other dogs just to survive on the streets.

Ace shows absolutely no aggression nor any prey drive. I can touch all his food and treats without him doing a thing. I left him alone in his crate for about 30 minutes today and within 15 minutes he settled down. He slept in his crate as well and slept through the night (except when he had a dry throat and needed some water, which I got for him.) We’re going to try a walk in Prospect Park this afternoon.

Ace will be available for adoption applications on the Muddy Paws website starting on Tuesday, November 26th. Since he is small, sweet, smart, and a puppy, I think there will be a lot of interest in him. Happy to answer any questions about Ace, fostering dogs, or Muddy Paws Rescue.

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JoyProject Podcast: The Joy of Fostering Animals with Mary Talalay

Christa Avampato
The Joy of Fostering Animals with Mary Talalay

What could instantly elicit more joy than a puppy or kitten? This week we talk to Mary Talalay, an expert in fostering animals to get them ready to find their forever homes. She also mentors new fosters, especially first-timers. Mary offers advice to those new to fostering and potential fosters who are curious about what’s involved in the process. She shares stories of fosters that hold a special place in her heart and how she and her daughter initially got involved in their foster community in Maryland.

At the end of the episode I share two resources created by Best Friends Animal Society. They put together a foster program training playbook with an e-learning module, care manuals for dogs, cats, and kittens, and other helpful links. They also have free online recordings of webinars, town halls, online courses, and helpful tips on fostering.

This is a heart-warming episode for all the animal lovers out there and those who want to play a part in animals rescue and adoption.

Topics discussed in this episode:

  • What it’s like to be a foster as well as the commitment needed (it can be as a big or as small a commitment as you have time for!)
  • The community of fosters that Mary and her teenage daughter discovered and are now a part of
  • Memorable fosters that found shelter and safety in Mary’s home
  • Ways to get involved in the foster community even if you can’t take an animal into your home

Links to resources:


About Mary:
Mary Talalay has a BS in Journalism from Temple University, an MS in Organizational Dynamics from University of Pennsylvania, and an MPH from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. She played goalie for Temple University’s Division 1 Final Four Women’s Lacrosse team and was a member of Phi Sigma Sigma.

She also studied Epidemiology in Krakow, Poland with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She has certifications from Quality Matters, Sloane Consortium, (Online Learning Consortium) and is a Blackboard Exemplary Course reviewer.

Prior to joining Johns Hopkins, Mary worked as a technical and medical writer for companies such as Baxter BioScience, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and many local biotechnology companies.

She worked as a project manager for the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine’s MD-PhD program, creating a comprehensive database of the program alumni and assisting with grants and admissions.

She was a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Slovak Republic, working as a project manager for the Slovak Ministry of Health, helping the government achieve compliance in the area of Public Health for accession into the EU. She continues to assist her Slovak colleagues with manuscript preparation pro bono.

She enjoys photography (her work has appeared in the Baltimore Sun, Maryland Zoo Annual Report, and KIWI Magazine), writing children’s books, travel, and kayaking.

One of her favorite overseas trips was spending Halloween in Transylvania.  Her family fosters animals for the Maryland SPCA and they lost count after the 100th kitten.

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In the pause: Lift the weight of caring by doing

Christa Avampato

“Lift the weight of caring by doing.” ~State Farm Insurance

State Farm Insurance is running an initiative called NeighborhoodOfGood.com. It depicts a man who is watching his neighbors deal with homelessness, hunger, and disease. He feels burdened by these insights and then stumbles across a neighborhood center that offers mentoring to young people where he can volunteer.

I know many of you are struggling with the massive needs in the world right now. There is no shortage of them—hunger, health, homelessness, inequity, racism, poverty, and the list goes on and on. Don’t feel paralyzed by the enormity of the task. Get out there and do something for a cause you care about. State Farm’s site NeighborhoodOfGood.com can help you find a great opportunity to put your caring to work!

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Wonder: Taking action with the International Rescue Committee and Planned Parenthood

Christa Avampato

I love how Hillary Clinton lived the words of her Methodist faith: “Do all the good you can, for all the people you can, in all the ways you can, as long as ever you can.” I took those words to heart this week as I signed up with the International Rescue Committee to assist families who are being re-settled from foreign countries into the areas around Washington, D.C. I also contacted Planned Parenthood about working with them at their office in D.C. that is only a few blocks from my home. It’s going to up to us to take care of each other and support one another through this administration. I’m going to do my part to show that there is goodness among all the muck.