OUR SERVICES
LOOKING AT THE FUTURE
Our team spent time analyzing and studying the impact of our services on the people in our community hardest hit by the pandemic’s economic impact. Along with fellow anti-poverty advocates and medical institutions, we are looking to offer individual and group therapy sessions with certified professionals, cash assistance relief, nutritional workshops, cooking classes, and more in 2022.
CHILD NUTRITION MOBILE POP PANTRY AT LOCAL SCHOOL
We’ve been working in partnership with I.S. 528 and their staff, providing fresh, nutritious tote bags of groceries to 125 households with children enrolled in I.S. 528. We like to increase to 250 families weekly. We know that families with kids have been affected the hardest during the pandemic.
Administrative staff of I.S. 528 (Principal Pichardo, Mrs. Brito and Mrs. Perez) We couldn’t have done all this without the support of community organizations, the fierce advocacy of impacted community members, and the combined voice of so many New Yorkers!
BY THE NUMBERS
WITH YOUR GENEROUS SUPPORT IN FISCAL YEAR 2021
WE DISTRIBUTED
8,438 MEALS AND
1,753,440 LBS OF FOOD
14,971 HOUSEHOLDS RELIED ON US EVERY WEEK
WE PARTNERED WITH
25 ORGANIZATIONS
IN OUR COMMUNITY INCLUDING SOUP KITCHENS, SCHOOLS, AND HOUSES OF WORSHIP TO NOURISH OUR COMMUNITY
OUR STAFF HELPED
400 HOUSEHOLDS RECEIVED CASH RELIEF PROVIDING
$40K IN ASSISTANCE
WE PROVIDED GROCERIES TO
6,122 SENIORS
AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
WE ENGAGED
210 VOLUNTEERS
WHO DONATED
9,919 HOURS OF WORK
Hot meals- Grab and Go meals for Homeless
Serving Mon-Fri over 400+ homeless each day
800+ hot meals prepared and served a week
Currently refitting a van to use as hot meals mobile unit for serving hot food to homeless and needy population of WaHI
RE-ENGINEERING THE OPERATIONS
At the center of our operations, we added emergency pop-up pantries to serve 5,000+ households per pantry per week. Shahin Marjen joined our team in March as Director of mobile pantries.
Shahin oversees all of our pantry operations and has had countless experiences in the field that demonstrate the heart and grit of our staff. “In March, we started opening pop-ups, thinking we might need one or two pop-ups to meet the dramatic increase in need,” she said. “But we ended opening 5, they always move fast, and when participants reach the finish line, everyone has a smile under their masks. Our priority is not only to provide food but a welcoming, positive experience.”
SAFETY FIRST
The pop-up pantries are meant to serve much larger crowds than our traditional HUB pantries so safety has been paramount. They are located on open curbed streets. We choose among different kinds of produce, grains, and protein like eggs or chicken, shifting to pre-assembled bags that minimize physical contact. These additional safety measures require a herculean effort of 15 volunteers per pantry.
Shahin coordinates over 210 volunteers, some weeks requiring extra help from our wonderful community members.