Key Food Cooperative and local owners to distribute $250,000 in holiday gift cards with City Harvest

Dean Janeway, chief executive officer of Key Food Cooperative, and Nayeli De Jesus, an owner-operator of Family stores under Superfresh/Food Universe banners, described a holiday gift-card donation the cooperative organized with City Harvest to help food-insecure families.

Janeway said the program involves "10,025 gift cards" that total $250,000 across Key Food markets in eight states; he said about $150,000 of that amount is allocated to New York City's five boroughs and roughly $40,000 is earmarked for the Bronx. Janeway described seeing long lines at a Brooklyn store's food pantry and said that experience helped inspire the donation.

The guests said City Harvest will handle distribution through its established network of food pantries, soup kitchens and mobile markets and that the cards can be redeemed at participating family-owned stores in the Key Food cooperative. "Through City Harvest...they have a network between food pantries and soup kitchens and mobile markets that've identified the families that are in most need," Janeway said.

Nayeli De Jesus described the stores’ local presence and said owner-operators often work daily in their neighborhoods. The cooperative also said the effort will extend through the holiday season and into the new year, and that viewers can find distribution locations and participating sites on City Harvest’s website.

No vote, public funding decision or government action was recorded in the segment; the program presented the effort as a private-sector donation coordinated with an established nonprofit distribution partner.