FreshDirect Donates Office Space to Charitable Partner

Online fresh food retailer FreshDirect is donating office space in its Bronx headquarters to its charitable partner, New York Common Pantry (NYCP), whose mission is to reduce hunger while promoting health, self-sufficiency and dignity. NYCP staff will begin moving into the space immediately.

The move is an outgrowth of the partnership that began in February, when FreshDirect customers could start contributing point-of-sale donations to the organization to help prevent food insecurity. Customers can choose from several donation options, ranging from $1.25 or the cost of one pantry meal to $100, the cost of one year of pantry groceries for a family. By July, FreshDirect customers had donated $1 million and more than $1.5 million to date. The organizations hope to reach $2 million in donations by Thanksgiving.

“Food insecurity continues to grow, and we’re committed to help NY Common Pantry’s mission to reduce hunger by helping to raise funds and supporting its operations,” said David McInerney, CEO of FreshDirect. “Together with the extraordinary generosity of our customers and staff, we have raised over $1.5 million to date and we hope to break $2 million by Thanksgiving.  Sharing space with NY Common Pantry in our Bronx headquarters allows us to provide mentorship, best practices and resources to the NYCP team on-site, enabling them to continue the incredible work they do every day.”

When the pandemic hit, volunteers could no longer help pick, pack and distribute the pantry bags for NYCP, all at a time when need for the services were on the rise. FreshDirect turned over a portion of its distribution facility to sourcing, packing and delivering fresh food to the NYCP facilities. The retailer also provides mentorship to the nonprofit through its seasoned food, merchant and operations experts.