The need continues and pantries continue with a lot of work

Martina Santos donates her time twice a week to help pack the food that is distributed for free to those most in need in New York City.

Martina is one of the dozens of volunteers who fill the bags with different foods.

“We are like ants, each one has their job. They put three oranges, they put three apples, they put two bananas and they put two grapefruits,” said Santos.

Greg Silverman is the director of the West Side Campaign Against Hunger, a non-profit organization that has been carrying out the mission of fighting hunger since 1979.

“Here in Midtown is where we started, but the people who have received the food have always been from the northern part of the city, in upper Manhattan, Inwood, and the south of the Bronx, for this reason opening this collection center has It makes sense to be closer to those communities,” explained chef Greg Silverman, director, West Side Campaign Against Hunger.

Communities whose population is the most vulnerable in the city. According to Columbia University, in 2022 half a million people joined the million and a half New Yorkers who are below the poverty level, an increase of 18% to 23% in a single year, throughout the city of NY.

“In 86, 400 people are served, almost every day from Tuesday to Friday. And that is where the need of human beings is seen, where the rent is expensive, the checks do not increase. There are many people who are in need, because even I include myself,” Martina added.

Idauri Peralta is also part of the organization.

“The fruit one has a pineapple, it has an apple, it has an orange and it has grapefruit. This bag has ‘sweet potato’, ‘onion’, carrot and Celery. This bag has ‘peanut butter’, it has spaghetti, it has oatmeal, it has beans” Peralta said.

“Inflation, the cost of food is high, both federal and local public aid has decreased, so there is a gap that we try to fill, for communities in need, including immigrants seeking asylum,” Silverman added. .

This campaign is associated with NY Cares, which since 1987 has also carried out volunteer work to help those most in need with food, health, education and well-being of the most vulnerable.

“We encourage New Yorkers to think about how they can spend their free time by volunteering to help us pack food to distribute to the city’s neediest to prevent New Yorkers from going hungry,” said Sapreet Saluja, executive director, New York Cares. .

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