The Robin Hood Foundation has been helping New Yorkers in need for more than 30 years, but it’s still a young organization when compared with The Salvation Army, which was founded in the United Kingdom in 1865.

In their own ways, each organization has been a fighter in the war on poverty, and they’ve both been affected by COVID-19. Richard Buery, Jr. is the CEO of Robin Hood, and he joins In Focus to talk about the hard work they’ve been doing to make sure New Yorkers have enough food. 

At this time of year, when everyone is sitting down to a big holiday meal, it’s also a good time to remember that nearly 2 million New Yorkers will rely on food pantries and soup kitchens for their meals, as they do all year long. Buery talks about bringing together many of the city’s grassroots organizations to help lift families out of poverty and make sure they have a chance to succeed.

But, even with their celebrity supporters, and there are many, finding funding at a time when the entire city is struggling to recover from the hit the economy has taken, is harder than ever.  Lt. Yuco Hall knows that struggle all too well. 

The Salvation Army’s red kettles are a part of the holiday landscape in New York City. But volunteers and funding have been more difficult to come by. Still, Hall explains, not only has the Salvation Army’s work, feeding the hungry and sheltering those who need it, continued, but the need has been greater than ever.