City Harvest in New York City reaps the benefits as the donor of the food that producers and distributors bring to the New York Produce Show to showcase at their exhibition booths.

Lisa Sposato, director of food sourcing for the organization, explained that it distributes the food to its network of 500 soup kitchens, food pantries and other community food programs across New York City, and they do it free of charge.

“City Harvest uses a fleet of 21 trucks that are on the road seven days a week,” said Sposato. “Our fleet includes two tractor trailers which are capable of making large pick-ups and deliveries.”

Sposato also pointed out that companies on the Hunts Point Terminal Market are also major contributors to the organization, and on a year-round basis.

“City Harvest has a Hunt’s Point Coordinator at the market Monday through Friday,” she said. “We go vendor-by-vendor checking for good excess produce that can be picked up and distributed that same day. We collect about four-million pounds of food from Hunt’s Point per fiscal year.”

Rescuing and distributing huge amounts of food to supply the hundreds of programs it sponsors comes naturally to City Harvest, of which the New York Produce Show is an important part.

Sposato said that in 2014, the organization rescued 43,000 pounds of excess food from the show, and since the New York Produce Show’s inception in 2010, City Harvest has received close to 250,000-pounds of food.

“We are always so grateful for the impressive amount of wonderful top-of-the-line produce received from the New York Produce Show,” said Sposato. “Pounds can fluctuate year over year based upon the items. Leafy greens weigh much less than squash, for example.”

Nearly 1.4 million New Yorkers — more than 16 percent — are struggling to put meals on their tables today, making City Harvest and the programs it sponsors an imperative part of the subsidence for these people who might otherwise be hungry and undernourished.

“Each community food program we work with has its own method of distribution,” Sposato explained. “Some programs, such as soup kitchens, provide hot meals for visitors. Others, such as food pantries, provide residents with produce and packaged items they can take home and cook in their own kitchens. We also work with some client choice pantries which allow visitors to select their foods instead of receiving a pre-packed or standard bag of groceries.”

City Harvest works with a handful of its network of 500 community partners to deliver the produce to them the same night that it’s received. It makes regular deliveries to many programs. Others also pick food up directly from its Food Rescue Facility in Long Island City in the Queens.

Dry goods and shelf stable products are obviously much easier to handle, while fresh perishables can create a challenge. But it’s a challenge that City Harvest has overcome.

“All City Harvest trucks are refrigerated and keep fresh food chilled to 40 degrees,” said Sposato. “Our Food Rescue Facility is also equipped with a large cooler and freezer.

City Harvest and all of the programs it supports are exceedingly gracious and thankful for its many generous donors who give fresh produce to help feed hungry New Yorkers.

“City Harvest will rescue 55 million pounds of excess food this year, and of that amount more than half will be produce,” said Sposato. “Our donors’ support helps ensure that our neighbors in need are able to put good, nutritious meals on their tables.”