NEW YORK, NY (March 27, 2020) – New York Knicks teammates Julius Randle and Bobby Portis have joined forces with HelloFresh, the world’s leading meal-kit company, to donate $180,000 worth of meals to City Harvest, New York City’s private response to hunger and largest food rescue organization, to help feed New Yorkers who are struggling to put meals on their tables amid the COVID-19 crisis. Additionally, Randle and Portis are each contributing $50,000 to support City Harvest’s operations, which will altogether help feed more than 370,000 New Yorkers in need.
Randle, Portis and HelloFresh all have a deep love and respect for the people of New York City, and hope that their donations can play a critical part in helping people across the city get through the COVID-19 crisis.
“On behalf of my wife Kendra and I, we are absolutely heartbroken to see the impact COVID-19 is having around the world. We encourage you all to be safe and listen to the guidelines given by our health officials.” says Julius Randle, New York Knicks Power Forward. “Today, my family and I and my teammate Bobby Portis are teaming up with HelloFresh to support City Harvest with feeding more than 370,000 fellow New Yorkers.”
“We are at an unbelievable time in our history. Necessities such as food have become unavailable to a lot of people around our country and the world.” says Bobby Portis, New York Knicks Power Forward. “I am fortunate enough to be in a position to support where I can. Julius and I take pride in being able to support our city during this time.”
HelloFresh, the leader in delivering delicious ingredients and easy-to-follow recipes to households worldwide, is committed to providing consumers with fresh, healthy meals through no-contact deliveries. Along with other food suppliers, HelloFresh has been classified as an “essential business” by a number of state and local governments and will continue bringing customers all the tools needed to enjoy wholesome, homemade meals to the dinner table.
City Harvest, New York City’s private response to hunger, is dedicated to feeding New Yorkers who are struggling to put meals on their tables, and in response to the COVID-19 crisis and its devastating economic impact, the organization is stepping up to rescue and deliver more food to meet the increasing need. Designated an essential service by Governor Cuomo and New York State, its fleet of 22 trucks will continue to be on the road, working hard to make sure all children, families, and New Yorkers in need have enough nutritious food in the coming weeks, months, and beyond. Hello Fresh will deliver 500 food boxes per week to City Harvest, for six weeks starting April 1.
“New York City is special to us because it is where HelloFresh headquarters calls home,” said Uwe Voss, Chief Executive Officer, HelloFresh US. “Providing access to healthy, fresh food is a responsibility we take very seriously and we’re proud to team up with Julius Randle and Bobby Portis to give back to our local community and help alleviate the stress of getting meals on the table during this unexpected time of need.”
With schools closed for an indefinite period of time, City Harvest is committed to ensuring that children and families have access to nutritious food during this time. “We are grateful for this donation from Hello Fresh and Julius Randle and Bobby Portis, which will help City Harvest feed our neighbors in need right now. In the coming days and weeks, more and more New Yorkers will be turning to us for help as the economic impact of COVID-19 becomes a reality, and with the support of generous partners, we can continue to be there for everyone who needs us today, and anyone who may need help tomorrow,” said Rebecca Fontes, City Harvest’s Director of Business Partnerships.
ABOUT HELLOFRESH:
HelloFresh SE is the world’s leading meal-kit company and operates in the U.S., the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Australia, Austria, Switzerland, Canada, New Zealand, Sweden and France. In 2019, HelloFresh delivered over 280 million meals and reached close to 3 million active customers in the fourth quarter of 2019. HelloFresh was founded in Berlin in November 2011 and went public on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in November 2017. HelloFresh has offices in New York, Berlin, London, Amsterdam, Sydney, Toronto, Auckland, Paris and Copenhagen.
ABOUT CITY HARVEST:
City Harvest is New York City’s largest food rescue organization, helping to feed the nearly 1.2 million New Yorkers who are struggling to put meals on their tables. We will rescue 66 million pounds of food this year and deliver it, free of charge, to hundreds of soup kitchens, food pantries, and other community partners across the five boroughs. Our programs empower individuals through nutrition education, increase our partners’ capacity, and strengthen the local food system, helping New Yorkers who are experiencing food insecurity to access, afford, and consume nutritious food. To learn more about our work, visit cityharvest.org.
