Disney VoluntEARS lend a hand at Bronx food bank for New Yorkers in need

NEW YORK (WABC) -- In one of the richest cities in the world, so many people still go to sleep hungry.

The Disney VoluntEARS pitched in to make a difference on Thursday. The voluntEARS helped pack and organize boxes to be sent out to help people in need, with Channel 7's own Bill Evans and Lori Stokes on hand to present a $15,000 check to the Food Bank for New York City.

That's a healthy serving when you consider just one dollar helps provide five meals. It's all part of the Disney Feeding America campaign.

One in five New Yorkers relies on the food services of the Food Bank for New York City, which is the city's major hunger relief organization, serving more than 1,000 charities throughout the five boroughs and providing more than 63 million free meals per year.

In New York City alone, 250 million meals are missing from the homes of those struggling to put food on the table.

The food bank has a 90,000-square-foot warehouse in Hunts Point in the South Bronx that houses all of the food that they receive from the government, donations and supporters.

It takes nearly 500 volunteers per week to pack and distribute the fresh produce and goods that go to the food bank's members.

"It's incredibly important that on a daily basis, we recruit and engage as many volunteers as possible to come to this site so we can get the food out," chief marketing and communications officer Silvia Davi said.

In addition to providing emergency food relief, the bank prides itself on nutrition, education and financial services and empowerment programs.

"We really go beyond what many expect a food bank to offer," Davi said. "The goal and mission is help people come out of crisis and live a healthier lifestyle."

To learn more about the Food Bank for New York City, and to learn how you can help, visit http://www.foodbanknyc.org/