How the Covid-19 pandemic is straining food banks in Northern Brooklyn
By: Laura Loguercio
Tags: Covid 19, Politics, Brooklyn, New York

On Saturday, Oct. 17, a truck full of food boxes pulled out on the sidewalk in front of Herbert Von King park, in Bedford-Stuyvesant. A group of volunteers, wearing gloves and masks, hopped on and started moving the load down to the street. The food distribution was about to begin, and people were already lining up with their empty bags ready to be filled.

The event was organized by Community Solidarity, one of the nonprofits under the umbrella of Food Not Bombs, a worldwide, volunteer-based organization that helps recover food which would otherwise be discarded. “This is the only Food Not Bombs share in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and the Bronx,” said Kayla, a volunteer and group organizer. “There is one in Manhattan, but that would be so much further away for me.”

Kayla got involved with the food distribution activities seven years ago, while she herself was looking for free groceries and supplies. Today, though, things have changed. During the Covid-19 pandemic unemployment rates in New York City rose from an initial 3.7 percent to a staggering 14.1 percent, leaving almost 600,000 New Yorkers unemployed.

Consequences can be dire when it comes to providing meals for an entire family. In Bushwick, Bedford-Stuyvesant, and East Williamsburg, a strong community network is helping the most vulnerable to get by.

At Bushwick Ayuda Mutua, volunteers pack up to 250 food boxes every week to serve 140 families around the neighborhood. “Since the beginning of the pandemic, in March, we have been bringing groceries to neighbors who have been affected by the crisis,” said Ira-Rose Kim, a volunteer coordinator.

The organization listens to the needs of every family involved and prepares personalized boxes that fit their individual situation. “It costs around $3,800 per week,” Kim said.

Demand for free food supplies increased during the health crisis. In a news conference held on May 21, New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio stated that “before the coronavirus, we thought over a million people in this city were food insecure. Now, we think that number is 2 million or more, so almost a doubling.” Earlier in April, the City launched a $170 million “Feeding New York” plan. According to local organizations, though, the effort was not as effective as it sounds.

During a phone interview, Kim pointed out the inefficiencies linked with food banks managed at the State or City level. “We have a very large immigrants’ community in Bushwick, and a lot of those families are unable to access Covid relief benefits,” he said. “Since we are not perceived as an institution on par with the government, I think we are a lot more approachable.”

“Many of the families we serve are undocumented immigrants, so they are scared to provide their information to the city,” said Luis Munive, program director at El Puente Bushwick. During the summer, the association started delivering food and groceries supplies to 50 households in Bushwick, Bedford-Stuyvesant, and neighboring areas. “They wanted to remain private, so even though they were in need for food they were too scared to speak.”

Sustainable United Neighborhoods — a Bushwick based nonprofit organization — took action as well, and from April to July delivered up to 3,000 prepared meals every day to families in Northern Brooklyn. “We did not do any intake, we did not capture any personal information,” said Jay Solly, a co-founder. “Other associations had to capture information, maybe because they used federal funds. We just wanted to get food to the people.”

In order to cope with the increased demand experienced during the pandemic, Sustainable United Neighborhoods had to hire new part-time food assistors: “At the height of the lockdown it was tough to find volunteers, few people were ready to risk themselves for no compensation,” said Solly. “When the reopening process started, we were able to get more volunteers.”

The pandemic, in fact, has also deeply changed the way food is treated and distributed, with contactless deliveries and advance planning quickly becoming the new norm. When I met her at Herbert Von King park, Kayla showed me a picture of an ordinary event held in pre-Covid-19 times: “We used to hand people the grocery bags, there was a lot of contact, hand-to-hand exchanges, and hugging,” she said. “Now people line up, we try not to get too close, and we just hand them a pre-made box of groceries.”

According to a Food Bank for New York City report, though, more than one-third of soup kitchens and food pantries had closed citywide by mid-April, with the highest proportions in the Bronx and Queens. “In the first few months, many of the established pantries were not ready to pivot fast enough, and they shuttered or had to scale back their operations,” said Solly.

On Oct. 15, I ran into a group of about 50 people waiting for their groceries outside the Bushwick-Hylan Community Center on Humboldt Street. Marcelino Perez, a man in his 60s, was standing cheerfully among them. “It’s a nice service and it’s free: come pick your box!” he said with a smile.