FOOD PANTRY


Each month, RMM’s Food Pantry provides emergency food assistance to more than 700 clients. Each person receives a 3-day supply of nutritious food staples. Clients may visit every week to receive assistance.


Out of abundance of caution, RMM is suspending our "client choice" food distribution system for the time being and instead is distributing pre-bagged groceries to clients at the entrance of Metro Baptist Church. Pantry doors open Saturday mornings at 10:00am. Food distribution begins at 10:00am and ends at 11:30am. 


No photo I.D. is required for individual clients. Food Pantry participants seeking food for additional persons are required to bring photo I.D. for each person not in attendance. No referral is required.


Distribution is also available on Thursdays and Fridays by appointment.  To make a weekday appointment via the Plentiful system, please text “FOOD” to 726-879 ("PANTRY").


To ensure you are up to date on RMM's food distribution, email food@rmmnyc.org or call 212-594-4464. If you are interested in volunteering at the Food Pantry, click here for more information or email volunteer@rmmnyc.org.

More than 1.3 million New York City residents are food insecure. New York City’s food insecurity rate is 11% higher than the national rate, and 18% higher than the New York State rate. The issue is not a lack of food, but a lack of justice. Many NYC residents must choose between paying rent or buying food. At our pantry, roughly 75% of our guests are from Hell's Kitchen alone. 


Each month more than 700 persons are provided emergency food assistance through RMM’s Food Pantry. Each person receives a 3-day supply of nutritious food staples. RMM not only provides food, but also seeks to address the issue of food justice. What makes our pantry especially unique is providing guests with produce grown on our rooftop. Many pantries have difficulty providing fresh produce, and our rooftop farm provides the opportunity to not only have food fresh from a farm but also to foster discussion on where food comes from. 


Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have welcomed more guests than ever before to meet the ever-evolving needs of our community. On Thanksgiving 2019, we set a new weekly attendance record of 116 guests; in 2020, we shattered that record week after week, serving upwards of 200 people every Saturday since the height of the pandemic. We continue to serve an unprecedented volume of clients. As of February 2021, our average weekly visits have increased by 175% compared to pre-COVID service.


Our pantry is always looking for extra volunteers and support. With the Hell’s Kitchen Farm Project closed for the winter, this is a great way to familiarize yourself with RMM’s food justice programming. In addition to volunteering, we welcome donations of food and plastic bags, and would love to hear from anyone who can provide connections to other resources such as SNAP benefits, health insurance enrollment, or financial planning. Any and all help is appreciated, and your support is what makes our pantry the vibrant and impactful resource that it is!