People In Need is a local 501 C3 non-profit organization run by a woman named Nowshin Ali. Nowshin…read moreand her non-profit's contributions have been written about by several publications including the New Yorker Magazine and the Brooklyner newspaper. Before the pandemic, they offered a pay what you can afford to pay after school program for local elementary school age children most of whose parents were immigrants. They also offered a women's support group to help immigrant women adapt to American culture and sponsored several food and clothing drives. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they have been raising money to purchase groceries and essential items which their volunteers have been distributing to over 300 area families and seniors. What amazes me is that they operate with 100% volunteers so when you donate to their COVID-19 fundraiser (https://www.gofundme.com/f/1xg92uczw0?utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer&utm_campaign=p_na%20share-sheet&rcid=b136902da5a746e48e0da1049d189714&fbclid=IwAR1e0DPHjbWhstAO9m0O5z-y6Sx2rRjP3GixrzHELvgx3fyhqT8LaABiyiw), 100% of your money is used to help those in need!

The main staff at this pantry are very rude to the customers, they speak down to them and rush…read morethem. You are treated like a herd of animals rather than humans. Although they do sometimes have a vast amount of food, they are not careful with distribution, and some get plenty and other get none. I witnessed a whole bin full of bagged carrots which were set out for garbage. If these were distributed properly, they would not have so much waste. They are favorable to their own friends and family and treat others like paupers begging for what they are legally allowed to from the government. With the right staff, or staff training, this could be a very nice place for the community.

I applied to this place for volunteer as a high school student. When asked for an art portfolio,…read morethey took ownership of my work. I got no follow-up whatsover, and when I emailed them about it, they acted oblivious to it and still didn't give it back. Make sure to do your research before applying to volunteer/work for them!

I used to volunteer here in the past with my high school and then one more time with my alma mater…read more So when I wanted to do some volunteering again this past saturday, this was the first place I thought of. My group was assigned to the pasta station. It was pretty straightforward and simple. The CFB employees were helpful and very nice. Everything was easygoing, and they made sure we completed everything on time. It's honestly always been a good experience every time I've come here. The work that they do is very inspiring. I am grateful to have some small part in helping with the food insecurity in NJ. I would definitely recommend volunteering here.

Came early to unload my truck. There were a few trucks in front of me waiting in two lines, so I…read morechose one of them. After a while, when it was almost my turn, a guy--he said his name was John--came up to me and told me I couldn't wait in the left line because it was only for their company trucks. He said I had to move to the right line and go all the way back to the end. I tried talking to the guy inside the building, showed them that I was first on their check-in list, tried explaining it to John, but they didn't care. They saw me waiting in the left line since I arrived, but nobody told me anything until it was almost my turn.

GrowNYC + Uptown Grand Central partner together to bring our neighborhood an affordable CSA bag…read moreeach week. It's a tiered price, ranging $14-20. We pay $20 and it's an amazing deal still. They are out there, really, Carey is every week, rain, shine or snowstorm. You don't have to subscribe to a whole season so it's very flexible. You can also get fresh eggs, bread, baked goodies and other pantry necessities each week. They're practicing good covid safety with distanced line spacing and masks and gloves for all the workers. In pre-covid times they also had composting. That's on hold for now. An incredible non-profit to donate to as well!

The staff was very helpful with me since I am handicapped and they got the food for me which was…read morevery helpful and the food was very good.

Charity Navigator gives this organization highest rating. They do wonderfully community work,…read moreparticularly helping those with food insecurity and social programs. On a small scale, so fortunate to be able to support their mission,

Connecticut Foodshare Headquarters is located in Wallingford, Connecticut. Connecticut Foodshare…read moresupports individuals and families from one end of the state to another by addressing root causes, creating long-term solutions, and distributing nutritious food through local partner programs to alleviate hunger. I got the opportunity to volunteer at Connecticut Foodshare from a fellow foodie who invited other foodie content creators. We had a great time, and we were able to help families all across the world. We had to go through an assortment of foods to ensure they were good, and we made boxes with assorted foods. We packed 16,637 pounds of food that would provide 13,864 meals for families. I'm excited that we had the chance to volunteer at Connecticut Foodshare, where I became an integral part of a team and provided essential support to those facing food insecurity.

Connecticut Foodshare HQ is located in Wallingford, CT with 85,000 square feet of space running…read moreoperations with 120 employees and gets assistance majority from volunteers. They have a beautiful mission to deliver an informed and equitable response to hunger by mobilizing community partners. I got the opportunity to volunteer with a group, all invited by word of mouth to sort produce separating spoiled products from the good ones. The staff were incredible with giving us the information we needed to directing us on how we can assist multiple families in need. At the end of the day, as a group we boxed 16,637 pounds of food that would impact 13,864 meals. That's incredible for 3 hours! It is amazing work and I commend all their staff for what they are doing every day to feed families in need!

They claim to provide services to the community however their own vice president manages buildings…read morein the area that are poorly maintained and managed. So badly so that they have lost multiple lawsuits against tenants in various buildings they own and the have appeared on NYC's worst landlord lists for housing violations, multiple years in row. One of the services they claim to offer is legal assistance with housing issues and tenant landlord mediation. Their own website is barebones, giving very little detail or information. No one answers the phone number they provide. There are multiple addresses for the business listed on different websites. Seems like a front to me.

Tax preparers are not qualified people.They don't know how much of a retired persons pension should…read morebe claimed and how much social security earnings should be claimed.They don't return phone calls.Who can I file a complaint with?