Charity of the week

City Harvest (cityharvest.org) is feeding more New Yorkers than ever in the wake of Super-Storm Sandy. Even in normal times, the charity collects some 115,000 pounds of surplus food each day from restaurants, wholesalers, grocers, and farmers throughout the city, then allocates it among nearly 600 community food programs. Since 1982, the charity has distributed more than 300 million pounds of surplus food. When the storm hit, City Harvest quickly identified the hardest-hit neighborhoods and targeted them for aid. Even though their facilities lost power at one point, the charity moved nearly 900,000 pounds of food to those who needed it most in the week following the storm. 

Each charity we feature has earned a four-star overall rating from Charity Navigator, which ranks not-for-profit organizations on the strength of their finances, their control of administrative and fund-raising expenses, and the transparency of their operations. Four stars is the group’s highest ranking.