Feeling a self-indulgent malaise after the Cyber Week retail gauntlet? It might be time to put some of your spending toward people in need.
In the US alone there are roughly 47 million people facing food insecurity, and 1 in 5 children don't have access to adequate nutrition. Today is Giving Tuesday, so we want to take the opportunity to highlight nonprofits, charities, and food banks that work to help people access safe and healthy food and water in our country and all around the globe.
With BA headquarters in NYC, many of our favorite places to donate are in the city. But you can find your local food bank here.
World Central Kitchen
It certainly doesn’t hurt when an organization's founder/spokesperson/most visible employee is one of the most gregarious food personalities of the 21st century, but José Andrés is more than an excellent messenger for his nonprofit. World Central Kitchen has brought nutrition and comfort to millions of people around the world.
The first time I gave any money to WCK was during the COVID pandemic, when theyworked to help restaurants open and provide food for the explosion of people who became food insecure at the time. And today they still seem to turn up wherever help is needed: bringing food to local disaster zones after tornadoes and earthquakes as well as into war-ravaged Gaza and Ukraine. WCK received a 100% rating from Charity Navigator for the last fiscal year, so you should feel confident that any money you do donate will go to the cause you intended for it.—Noah Kaufman, senior commerce editor
Food Bank for New York City
Food Bank for New York City isn’t just a food bank. The good folks there distribute millions of pounds of food to New Yorkers; rescue food from groceries, wholesalers, farms, and markets; help people use SNAP benefits to their maximum potential (and stay on SNAP as long as they need it); offer nutrition education; and provide emergency food relief during disasters.
I was first introduced to the organization after coordinating a staff volunteer day there with my coworker Kate Kassin, and we’ve made our visit a biannual tradition ever since. If you donate your time to a food pack at their warehouse, you’ll see a glimpse of the Food Bank's awe-inspiring logistics and leave with a renewed sense of hope about how we can help feed and sustain each other with dignity and joy too. —Kelsey Youngman, senior service editor
God’s Love We Deliver
God's Love We Deliver started 40 years ago with a mission to feed those living with HIV/AIDS in New York City. These days it continues on that mission but also serves high-quality meals to anyone unable to provide or prepare meals for themselves. I recently had the honor of volunteering at their downtown facility, where our group jumped in to help with all aspects of fulfillment, from prepping individual ingredients to labeling the components, portioning out servings, and packaging the meals. During the holidays when the need is greater, God's Love We Deliver has even more opportunities to volunteer, including helping produce their famous brownies (which they also happen to sell online). Volunteer shifts are in three-hour chunks and you must be 16 or older to participate. —Hana Asbrink, deputy food editor
Charity Water
Scott Harrison of Charity Water came and spoke with the Bon Appétit staff back in 2016, and I have been a monthly donor ever since. He is brilliant, charismatic, and better still, a phenomenal social entrepreneur, using private donations to fund the charity's operating expenses so that 100% of donations can go directly to funding water access projects around the world. —Chris Morocco, food director
Rethink Food
Rethink Food works in partnership with restaurants and community organizations to feed thousands of food insecure people. This innovative approach helps to reduce food waste, while giving people access to nutritious meals. —Jamila Robinson, editor in chief
One Love Community Fridge
Down the block on my street outside a coffee shop is a small fridge filled with fresh food available for anyone to take. A community fridge is a simple concept, but one that can make a world of difference in someone's day. Asmeret Berhe-Lumax (who was honored as a 2025 Champion of Change by 50 Best) started OLCF in 2020 and in the five years since, has redirected nearly 11 million pounds of food that would otherwise end up in a landfill to a network of 40 fridges across New York City.
OLCF emphasizes access to fresh produce and readymade meals, working with farms and large grocery stores to keep their fridges full. They are a growing non-profit, and one that I feel really understands the importance of community-driven mutual aid. —Wilder Davies, commerce writer
City Harvest
We love restaurants, but it’s an unfortunate truth that they often create a lot of food waste. New York’s City Harvest operates on a simple premise: What if we could take perfectly good food that would otherwise go to waste, and give it to those in need instead? Last year distributed nearly 79 million pounds of food to soup kitchens, food pantries, and community partners. Their work is all the more vital as more New Yorkers rely on food assistance—and our donations go a long way: just $20 rescues 46 pounds of food, according to City Harvest’s website. —Sam Stone, staff writer