Anti-hunger advocates praised New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Council Speaker Christine Quinn for announcing three hunger and nutrition-related initiatives today. “These efforts can start taking a large bite out of the Big Apple’s hunger problem,” said Joel Berg, executive director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger, an umbrella group for the city’s more than 1,200 food pantries and soup kitchens.

Bloomberg and Quinn announced that the City’s Human Resources Administration (HRA) and two nonprofit partners – the New York City Coalition Against Hunger and FoodChange – have successfully started a Paperless Office System (POS) project in which low-income New Yorkers receive facilitated assistance to apply for food stamp benefits online at pilot sites in soup kitchens and food pantries in all five boroughs.

“Enabling people to apply for food stamps online at soup kitchens and food pantries is a major advance,” said Berg. “This project is particularly helpful for working families, seniors, and people with disabilities, many of whom can now obtain food stamps without ever having to go to a City office. Because such applicants are able to have their applications and supporting documents forwarded electronically to HRA, they are often able to have their follow-up interviews over the phone rather than in-person, which makes it far easier for them to apply while still ensuring that the government obtains the accurate information it needs. We are grateful to HRA, FoodChange, and our neighborhood-based partners for achieving significant success on this project in its very initial stage. So far, this joint project is truly a ‘win-win’ solution.”

The online application project has already begun at the following food pantries and soup kitchens: Part of the Solution in the Fordham section of the Bronx; Hanson Place Campaign Against Hunger in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn; and Project Hospitality on the North Shore of Staten Island. The project will also begin in the next few weeks at the Center of Hope International/East River Development Alliance in Long Island City, Queens and at the Yorkville Common Pantry in East Harlem. People can call FoodChange at 1-866-FOOD NYC (1-866-366-3692) to determine if they are eligible for food stamps and then, if they live in one of those neighborhoods, may be referred to one of the online application sites.

Bloomberg and Quinn also announced that the ACCESS NYC system, a free online service that identifies and screens for numerous City, State, and Federal human service benefit programs (including food stamps), has just been upgraded to include three additional nutrition assistance programs: WIC, school meals, and summer meals for children. Additionally, they announced that the Kellogg Foundation will be funding a significant public/private partnership to reduce obesity by increasing the availability of nutritious food in low-income neighborhoods and enabling more New Yorkers to engage in physical activity.