Chick-fil-A is using a New York partnership to put a spotlight on hunger, not just sandwiches. The company recently highlighted its work with The Bowery Mission, a longtime New York City nonprofit that receives surplus food through Chick-fil-A’s Shared Table program, according to Nation’s Restaurant News and Chick-fil-A.
What Chick-fil-A and The Bowery Mission are doing
Nation’s Restaurant News reported on October 5, 2026, that Chick-fil-A recently held a popup event at The Oculus in Manhattan to show how widespread hunger is in the United States. The article tied that event to Chick-fil-A’s ongoing partnership with The Bowery Mission, one of the oldest rescue missions in the country.
The Bowery Mission was founded in 1879 in New York City, according to the report. The organization provides hot meals, showers, shelter, clothing, and medical care to homeless and hungry people, primarily in the New York metropolitan area.
The partnership began in 2018, when The Bowery Mission joined Chick-fil-A’s Shared Table program. Through that program, restaurants donate surplus food each week to nonprofit groups that can use it to prepare meals for people in need.
Chick-fil-A says Shared Table works by having participating restaurants package surplus food at the end of each day except Sunday. Nonprofit partners then pick up ingredients such as chicken, produce, biscuits, salads, fruit cups, and eggs, and turn them into meals including casseroles, tacos, and chicken parmesan.
Why the food matters beyond a routine donation
Since 2018, Chick-fil-A has donated more than 58,000 meals to The Bowery Mission, according to Nation’s Restaurant News. Karl Chan, chief development officer at The Bowery Mission, told the publication that the partnership has had a significant effect on the organization’s response to food insecurity.
Chan said one important detail is the kind of food Chick-fil-A restaurants provide. Instead of only shelf-stable items, the restaurants donate surplus protein such as chicken strips and nuggets, which he said gives guests more choice and helps preserve dignity.
He told Nation’s Restaurant News that people who are struggling often “take what you’re given” because they have few options. In this case, he said, having protein available changes the interaction and allows people to ask for what they want, making the meal feel less transactional.
That emphasis matches Chick-fil-A’s broader description of Shared Table. On its website, the company says the program is designed both to reduce food waste and to help feed people in need by redirecting quality surplus food from restaurants to local organizations.
How broad the Shared Table program has become
Chick-fil-A says more than 2,700 restaurants participate in Shared Table, and the company says the program has helped create more than 50 million meals since 2012. On its hunger relief page, Chick-fil-A also says more than 90% of its restaurants take part in the program.
Nation’s Restaurant News reported that about 10 owner-operators in the New York City market have volunteered and trained with The Bowery Mission since Chick-fil-A entered the city about 10 years ago. Chan told the publication he expects the partnership to keep growing as the chain expands its footprint in New York City.
For families who think about food waste at home, the takeaway is simple. This is a restaurant scale example of surplus food being redirected while it is still usable, with local groups turning prepared ingredients into meals instead of letting them go to waste.
Chick-fil-A has also framed the effort as part of a wider hunger relief push. In a recent company announcement for Hunger Action Month, it said it would spotlight food insecurity across the country and donate a meal to The Bowery Mission for every visitor who attended and learned more at the New York activation.