NYFTA Launches Frontline Food Trucks COVID-19 Relief Program for New York Health Care Workers

Since April 1, the New York Food Truck Association has dispatched several of its best food trucks to hand out thousands of free servings of coffee, snacks, and nutritional meals to the health care workers on the frontline of COVID-19 at NYU Langone Hospital, as part of a larger initiative run by NYFTA called Frontline Food Trucks.

Due to COVID-19, many hospitals are in very short supply of food and beverage products because cafeterias and cafes are closed, and minimal nearby stores are open from which health care workers can quickly buy food in between shifts.

In response, NYFTA, an association of food trucks based in New York City and surrounding areas, partnered with its local food truck members, food and beverage companies, and sponsors to feed frontline medical professionals who are tirelessly fighting COVID-19. Several brands, including La Colombe Coffee Roasters, Sweetgreen, Core Foods, Chobani, and Pipsnacks have donated a tremendous amount of their products to be distributed via NYFTA's food trucks. Their contributions were instrumental in getting Frontline Food Trucks off the ground.

Additionally, NYFTA has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover additional costs needed to run this program for as long as this crisis continues, including truck staffing and supplemental food and beverage supplies. Campaign funds will also be used to scale the program's reach by dispatching as many as a dozen trucks to rotate among 5-10 hospitals, doing multiple shifts a day, seven days a week.

As an association, one of NYFTA's core values is to support and advocate for its food truck members. Through Frontline Food Trucks, the NYFTA is able to support food truck businesses that have been shut down, saving the jobs and livelihoods of countless employees facing imminent unemployment during this pandemic.

Due to the current safety standards that prohibit non-medical staff to enter the hospitals, as well as the limited hospital staff dedicated to managing donation efforts, the NYFTA will act as the hub to receive and deliver any food and beverage donations that are generously offered from any restaurant or company that is eager to support.

For more information regarding NYFTA or food and beverage donations, please contact Ben Goldberg, Founder and President of NYFTA, or visit www.nyfta.org.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of NYFTA

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