Food is Medicine. Food is Love. Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report Contents LETTER CLIENT STORIES : BILL AND LYNDA 18 Board Chair Scott Bruckner and President & CEO Karen Pearl 03 OUR VOLUNTEERS 19 MISSION 05 CLIENT STORY : MEET CRAIG 22 Advocacy 06 Nutrition 07 FINANCIALS 24 Special Touches 08 Revenue and Expenses 24 Accomplishments 09 Who We Serve 11 OUR SUPPORTERS 25 Join Us 26 THE YEAR IN NEWS 12 Annual Listings 27 Headlines 13 Events 15 OUR BOARD 38 Partnered Events 16 2 GOD’S LOVE WE DELIVER ANNUAL REPORT FISCAL YEAR 2018 (JULY 1, 2017 – JUNE 30, 2018) A Letter from Board Chair Scott Bruckner and President & CEO Karen Pearl Dear Friends, We are proud to share with you all to ensure that our program continues are counting on us as partners, and that we accomplished this year. God’s to be effective, targeted, and the changing demographics of the Love We Deliver cooked and home sustainable. In 2018, we developed and communities we serve. delivered nearly 1.8 million meals to launched a new Strategic Plan and are Through this Strategic Plan, we more than 7,000 of our neighbors reaffirm our mission to providing GOD ’ S LOVE WE DELIVER affected by severe and chronic illness the highest quality services to – our clients, their children and their COOKED AND HOME clients, referral partners, volunteers, senior caregivers. In September, we DELIVERED NEARLY staff, policy makers, donors, and marked an important milestone as our broader community. We look to 1 . 8 MILLION MEALS we cooked, packaged, and delivered become the “Organization of Choice” TO MORE THAN 7,0 0 0 our 20 millionth meal. We are most in every way for each stakeholder grateful to our generous supporters OF OUR NEIGHBORS through our efforts. And, we commit Board Chair Scott Bruckner and President & CEO Karen Pearl and remarkable volunteers who helped AFFECTED BY SEVERE to doing this in a financially and make 2018 such a fantastic year. programmatically sustainable way. AND CHRONIC ILLNESS Over the past 10 years, demand At God’s Love, we consistently for the services that God’s Love We poised to take the next critical steps deliver a gold-standard program that Deliver provides has grown by 150%. in meeting the challenges presented serves our clients’ most pressing food This significant growth has challenged by the changing needs of our clients, and nutrition needs. This year, our us to think in new and different ways the growing list of providers who Kitchen and Nutrition departments 3 GOD’S LOVE WE DELIVER ANNUAL REPORT FISCAL YEAR 2018 (JULY 1, 2017 – JUNE 30, 2018) When Paul became sick, your generosity helped God’s Love deliver his nutritious meals during a time of change. Now, you can help thousands more of our most vulnerable neighbors whose lives have been affected by serious illness. A Letter from Board Chair Scott Bruckner and President & CEO Karen Pearl Your gift could offer hope to someone like Paul. God’s Love is anticipating another kind of change – our imminent return to our newly renovated building in SoHo. Demand for our nourishing meals has grown 94% in the last eight years. Having helped thousands of vulnerable New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other life-altering illnesses, it was finally necessary to expand our kitchen and delivery facilities. Our program is helping to save lives by responding to the urgent crises of hunger and serious illness. As we introduced 65 new menu items, continue to garner greater national 10,000 Volunteers” campaign, which celebrateand deliver our 30th 1.8 anniversary million mealsin May, itto is 7,000imperative to remember that with an always-rising including entrées with cultural support for our work. included photos of our volunteers needindividuals, for our meals, God’s it becomes Love harder has alwaysand harder everyday to achieve our critical mission. diversity and breakfast choices for In September, nearly 50 Managed in nearby subway stations. We are beenThat’s a why beacon your financial of hope, support respect, is so urgently needed right now. Please, make a gift today to ensure God’s Love is there for clients in their critical our renal clients. We also translated Long-Term Care providers gathered deeply grateful for our more than timedignity, of need. and love in our community. our guide “Nutrition Tips for Older at God’s Love for the first annual 13,000 volunteers without whom YourWith gift your will bring help, individually we are able tailored to meals and nutrition counseling to people living with life-altering illnesses such as HIV/AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease. Your Adults” into Spanish. Community Partners Health Expo. we simply would not be able to giftprovide will also thehelp life-sustainingimprove our clients’ meals quality andof life, allowing them to better enjoy all the We made tremendous progress Attendees were impressed by a accomplish our important mission. wonderfulnutrition attributes services of springtime. that our clients and A gift of any size makes a difference, and is so appreciated. I hope I can count on you. I want in achieving better integration of series of presentations, a tasting of Over our 33-year history, God’s totheir thank familiesyou for your need committed – free support of charge that allows to us to cook and deliver nutritious meals to food and nutrition services into the some of the meals we provide to our Love has undergone continuous ourthem clients, and their full children, of love. and Thanktheir caregivers. you so healthcare continuum. In January, clients, and a tour of our facility. change and improvement in every muchPlease forjoin yourGod’s support.Love today in providing love, hope, and nutritious meals to our clients each and every day. Congressman Jim McGovern of We are making great strides aspect of our work – from client Thank you so much for being as generous as possible. Massachusetts, the founder and co- toward promoting the God’s Love services to nutrition, from kitchen Sincerely, chair of the House Hunger Caucus, program and increasing our visibility. to delivery, from volunteer services All my best, launched the new bipartisan Food is This year, we developed “Healthcare to fundraising. However, no matter Medicine Working Group, and in May, Starts with Healthy Food” PSAs for how much we have changed, we Karen Pearl President & CEO we had the honor of presenting the The Wall Street Journal, which had have kept constant our commitment Karen and Scott work of our national Food is Medicine nationwide circulation. to providing meals and nutrition P. S . As we mark the 30th anniversary of God’s Love, I hope you will make a gift – any amount, $25, $50, or $75 – that will help us to serve all of our clients in every season. Thank you. Coalition at a Congressional Briefing God’s Love works hard every day services to people who are too sick in Washington, DC. A growing body to ensure that we are attracting to shop or cook for themselves. From of research shows that the medically and retaining the best volunteers one woman delivering one meal to a tailored meal intervention we provide and staff in a competitive man dying of AIDS in 1985 to today, CONNECT WITH US improves health outcomes and marketplace. In 2018, we celebrated where 100 staff members and 13,000 Stay Connected reduces healthcare costs, and we our volunteers with our “1 of Over volunteers work together to cook Get updates and the latest news from God’s Love through our email list, right to your inbox! godslovewedeliver My email address: __________________________________________________ godslovenyc Please send my gift acknowledgment by email. 4 GOD’S LOVE WE DELIVER ANNUAL REPORT FISCAL YEAR 2018 (JULY 1, 2017 – JUNE 30, 2018) godslovenyc 630 FLUSHING AVENUE 7TH FL • BROOKLYN, NY 11206 • TEL 212.294.8100 • godslovewedeliver.org godslovewedeliver If you want to limit the mail you receive or you wish to stop receiving mail godslovenyc from God’s Love, please contact us at [email protected], or send GOD’S LOVE WE DELIVER is proud preferences to us at 630 Flushing Avenue 7th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11206. to meet or exceed all 20 standards Your contribution is tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. of accountability established by the Thank you for your generosity. Better Business Bureau for charities. #FOODISMEDICINE Apr'15 Appeal.Letter.indd 2 4/23/15 11:37 AM “ I was so scared. I didn’t think anyone could help me. If it weren’t for God’s Love, I don’t know what I would do. Now, I have food for my son and I have food for myself. It’s such a relief. I have so many other things to worry about but with God’s Love, I feel comfort. Our Mission Every day I am grateful that the people of God’s Love can be so The mission of God’s Love We Deliver generous with their time, helping to support a family they don’t is to improve the health and well- even know.” being of men, women and children — Our client, Gazmend living with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other serious illnesses by alleviating hunger and malnutrition. We prepare and home-deliver nutritious, individually tailored meals to people who, because of their illness, are unable to provide or prepare meals for themselves. We also provide illness-specific nutrition education and counseling to our clients, families, care providers and other service organizations. All of our services are provided free to clients without regard to income. God’s Love We Deliver is a non- sectarian organization.