Grand Central Food Program

A woman in a coat holds up a peace sign in front of a Coalition for the Homeless food van.

The Grand Central Food Program (GCFP) was founded in 1985 the day after a woman died of starvation in Grand Central Terminal. Since then, the program has grown to become the largest mobile soup kitchen in America.

Each night, our three vans deliver between 800 and 1,200 healthy meals of hot stew, bread, fresh fruit, and juice or milk — as well as coats, hats, gloves and blankets when available — to those struggling to survive on the streets at 22 stops around the city. For many homeless New Yorkers, this is their only meal of the day.

In its 40 year history, the program has distributed more than ten million meals and has never missed a single night of operation — allowing us to build an invaluable level of trust among some of our most marginalized homeless neighbors. The reliability, consistency and compassion of the GCFP team, which includes a Mobile Outreach Worker,  helps to overcome the systemic failures that have lead many of the individuals we serve to feel let down, disconnected and alone – and to make connections  to critical services such as psychiatric treatment, medical care,  shelter, housing and other vital benefits offered by the Coalition and partner organizations.

Volunteers — who help us hand out the food and drive the vans — are the lifeblood of GCFP, and usually commit to one day per week.  Click below to learn more.

VolunteerThe RoutesOutreach Flyer

Our Corporate Sponsors help us cover the cost of delivering the meals to our homeless and hungry neighbors, while providing volunteer opportunities for their own employees. The sponsorships also let the company publicly demonstrate its commitment to civic responsibility and making New York a more humane and livable city.