In an average year, meeting the needs of hungry New Yorkers is challenging.

In 2020, food banks in New York and beyond are finding that taking on this mission requires resourcefulness, resilience and the rethinking of how those in need can be served.

Food Bank for New York City usually supplies about 1,000 institutions, such as food pantries and soup kitchens, with groceries. Now, 40 percent of them have suspended operations because of the coronavirus outbreak, said Leslie Gordon, chief executive of Food Bank for New York City. In response, it has come up with new ways to get food into the hands of New Yorkers.

“We’re trying to meet people where they are,” Ms. Gordon said.

As part of that goal, the food bank recently set up pop-up food distribution sites in 15 New York City Housing Authority locations. It is also planning to deliver groceries, snacks and hygiene items to roughly 30,000 medical professionals at the city’s public hospitals and clinics.

The pantries in the food bank’s network that have remained opened have had to be extremely cautious. Some have lined sidewalks with yellow cones six feet apart to ensure clients follow social distancing rules.