On its 20th anniversary, FeedingNYC will deliver more than 8,500 Thanksgiving dinners to families in need

NEW YORK, Nov. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- FeedingNYC announced today that it will deliver over 8,500 dinners to shelters throughout New York City this Thanksgiving season. The nonprofit, founded in the wake of 9/11 to bring hope to families in need, marks its 20th anniversary this year.

The 8,500 Thanksgiving dinners — each containing a full-size turkey, all the fixings, and a handcrafted greeting card from a local New York City artist — will be packed by FeedingNYC volunteers on November 23, then hand delivered to shelters in all five boroughs the same day. The event will follow all New York City guidelines for COVID-19 safety.

"FeedingNYC began with just 12 volunteers coming together to bring a little Thanksgiving cheer and good food to 40 families in 2001. I'm so proud to say that we kept going and kept growing, with 7,000 volunteers helping us over the past two decades," said Rob LoCascio, founder and CEO of LivePerson and founder of FeedingNYC. "While delivering another 8,500 meals during a pandemic will be a challenge, we want the families we serve to know they're not alone, and we'll be there like we are every year to help brighten their Thanksgiving."

One in five children in New York City currently faces hunger, and with 70% of the city's shelter population made up of families, approximately 40,000 children sleep in shelters each year. FeedingNYC's main beneficiary is Win (formerly Women in Need), New York City's largest provider of shelter and services to homeless families, especially for women and children. Other 2021 beneficiaries include Henry Street Settlement, Volunteers of America, and several public schools.

"The answer to ending poverty, hunger, women in need, through and throughout time is community. Every year, I leave FeedingNYC feeling lighter, knowing we have incredible community partners who are showing up for each other," said Christine C. Quinn, president and CEO of Win. "We are forever grateful to FeedingNYC for ensuring that thousands of Win families can still come together and enjoy a hot meal this Thanksgiving, despite the difficult circumstances we're all facing."

FeedingNYC is sponsored by LivePerson and Kirkland & Ellis and supported by corporate and individual donors from all corners of the world.

"Every family deserves to feel loved and have a warm meal on Thanksgiving. Thank you, FeedingNYC, for your service to our community," said Alex Touissant, senior instructor at Peloton and founder of the Do Better Foundation.

FeedingNYC's partners, including Manhattan Mini Storage, Roadway Moving, and Pier Sixty, generously contribute their services to assist the effort.

"We're so pleased to have partnered for well over a decade with FeedingNYC," said Adam Steckler, president of Manhattan Mini Storage, which is part of the Edison Properties family. "While we've always provided the boxes used to pack meals, we're proud to now also match donations from our storage customers. We're grateful for the work FeedingNYC does, and this year it's even more crucial that some of the city's neediest receive this assistance."

"We're proud to spend our days moving families into homes, but we know that thousands of families in New York don't have a place to call home, including tens of thousands of children," said Ross Sapir, founder of Roadway Moving. "We are honored to once again join with FeedingNYC to bring Thanksgiving dinners to families in shelters. It's the most important work our people and trucks will do during an incredibly challenging year."

FeedingNYC is now accepting donations to feed families for Thanksgiving 2021. A donation of just $35 can provide an entire Thanksgiving dinner. To support a family in need this year, make a donation by check, credit card, ACH, or PayPal, or explore sponsorship opportunities.

About FeedingNYC
FeedingNYC is an annual charity event sponsored by the Dream Big Foundation, a nonprofit organization conceived by LivePerson CEO Robert LoCascio in the aftermath of 9/11 when employees and friends of LivePerson assembled and hand-delivered turkey dinners to disadvantaged families around New York City for Thanksgiving. With the support of the local community and corporate sponsors, the project, which began in 2001 serving just 40 families in Harlem, has grown to deliver meals to approximately 90,000 families to date throughout the five boroughs. Please visit www.feedingnyc.org to learn how to get involved.

About LivePerson, Inc.
LivePerson makes life easier for people and brands everywhere through trusted conversational AI. Our 18,000 customers, including leading brands like HSBC, Orange, and GM Financial, use our conversational solutions to orchestrate humans and AI, at scale, and create a convenient, deeply personal relationship — a conversational relationship — with their millions of consumers. LivePerson has been named to Fast Company's World's Most Innovative Companies list for its leadership in artificial intelligence. For more information about LivePerson (NASDAQ: LPSN), please visit www.liveperson.com.

About Win:
Since 1983, Win has been transforming the lives of women and children experiencing homelessness in New York City by providing the housing, programs and services they need to succeed — so families can regain their independence and their children can look forward to a brighter future. With 13 shelters serving 5,000 people every night, Win focuses on solutions for the many causes of homelessness by helping women improve their job skills, life skills, health and more. Win's children's services include childcare, after school programs and Camp Win, a summer day camp program. Win also provides permanent supportive housing offering dedicated, long-term support to mothers with additional needs.

Contact:
Mike Tague
mtague@liveperson.com

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SOURCE FeedingNYC