Through his consistent and generous donations to City Harvest, Isaac Toussie has helped the world’s first food rescue organization feed hundreds of thousands of hungry New Yorkers every week. Isaac Toussie said to the media “ People spend money on parades their animals, and on political campaigns, when there are masses of human beings without proper food or nutrition”
The numbers don’t lie, and for Isaac Toussie, a highly-successful entrepreneur, numbers are everything. Isaac Toussie knows what makes a charity effective is its ability to help the greatest number of people at the lowest possible cost so when City Harvest told him it could rescue a pound of food to feed the hungry in New York for just 23 cents, he knew he’d found another efficient and successful non-profit organization to add to the list of charities he supports on a regular basis. And for this aforementioned numbers man, it isn’t hyperbole to say his donations over the years have enabled City Harvest to rescue tons of food… literally.
Isaac Toussie support helps City Harvest feed hungry New Yorkers
For several years now, Isaac Toussie has been among City Harvest’s most loyal and generous donors, and as such, he has done his part to help feed hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who don’t have the means to do so themselves. With donations like Isaac Toussie’s, City Harvest is able to rescue nearly 77,000 pounds of food daily, which translates to more than 28 million pounds of food reaching those who need it most this year alone.
The process is as innovative as it is simple. City Harvest collects good food from restaurants, grocers, corporate cafeterias, manufacturers and farms and delivers it to nearly 600 community food programs throughout New York City using a fleet of trucks, bikes, and volunteers on foot.
Calling itself a “product of common sense,” City Harvest began in 1982 when a group of ordinary citizens became troubled by the growing number of New York City residents who didn’t have enough to eat. Thanks to support like that from Isaac Toussie, City Harvest has distributed more than 200 million pounds of food in the last 28 years, including 260,000 every week. In addition to food rescue, City Harvest also works to influence how government food programs are managed and funded in order to address the issue of hunger at its source.
Isaac Toussie continues to help those in need
Isaac Toussie’s frequent donations to City Harvest reflect his commitment to supporting the less fortunate and helping those who cannot help themselves. He regularly receives testimonials from those who have directly benefitted from his support, including a growing number of recently unemployed single parents who have lost their jobs because of the recent economic downturn. This mission to give back to his community, however, wasn’t originally his idea. In fact, that drive was originally begun by his father, Robert Toussie. The younger Toussie has continued the family’s dedication to improving the quality of life of the less fortunate by funding medical research around the world. The Toussie family has worked with several charities, hospitals, and medical groups to help the sick, blind and poor across the country. It is well documented that thousands of people have benefited from the Toussies’ medical contributions. Lives have been saved, suffering has been diminished, and illnesses have been treated and, in some cases, even cured.
About Isaac Toussie: Isaac Toussie represents the latest generation of the Toussie family’s mission to providing a better quality of life to those who need it the most. Continuing the philanthropic commitment established by his father, Robert Toussie, Isaac Toussie donates both his time and his money to charities, schools, and other non-profits that help the blind, the sick, and the needy. Toussie amassed his fortune as a land developer, business advisor, and real estate consultant and investor. This passion for business was instilled in him at an early age; in fact, Toussie received his MBA from the Stern School of Business at NYU at the age of 21, making him one of the youngest MBAs in the school’s history.(He also had graduated valedictorian from several of his earlier schools). In his spare time, he is an established concert pianist, avid writer, martial artist and boxer, and also studies ethics, philosophy and law
About Robert Toussie: As generous as he is prolific, Robert Toussie is as dogged in his efforts on behalf of the less fortunate as he is in the corporate sector. Together with his son, Isaac Toussie, Robert Toussie has donated both his time and his money to hospitals, community organizations, schools, worldwide religions of peace, and food networks to help feed the hungry like City Harvest. Toussie received his M.B.A. from Columbia University and amassed his fortune by investing in department store and toy store chains, bible companies, food manufacturers, oil companies and, perhaps most notably, in real estate. He has been just as successful in marriage as he has in business; he and his wife have been married for more than 40 years and have four children and six grandchildren.