The Grand Central Food Program (GCFP) was founded in 1985 the day after a homeless 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 rough on the streets at 22 stops around the city. For many homeless New Yorkers, this is their only meal of the day.
In its more than 39 year history, the program has distributed more than seven million meals and has never missed a single night of operation — allowing us to build an invaluable level of trust among some of the hardest to reach and most marginalized of our homeless neighbors. The GCFP team, which includes a Mobile Outreach Worker, uses that trust to connect those on the streets with other life-changing services such as psychiatric treatment, medical care, substance abuse treatment, or shelter and 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.
The Grand Central Food Program delivers approximately 1,000 hot, nutritious meals to homeless and hungry individuals and families on the streets of NYC every night of the year.
