The New York Guard (State Defense Force) was featured on the front page of the New York Daily News, one of the largest newspapers in the city, assisting the National Guard in a Joint Task Force mission to provide meals and supplies to the people of New York.
New York Guard soldier on the left, National Guard soldier on the right
Here is the article:
De Blasio announces $170M initiative to help feed NYC residents during coronavirus pandemic
Staff members of Project Renewal cook at their Industry City kitchen in Brooklyn to prepare meals for others in need.(Jesse Ward/for New York Daily News)
The city will spend $170 million in the coming months to ensure no New Yorkers go hungry because of coronavirus or the economic fallout from the pandemic, Mayor de Blasio announced Wednesday.
“We will not allow any New Yorker to go hungry,” de Blasio said.
The new funding includes $50 million for an “emergency food reserve” that will have 18 million shelf-stable meals.
“This means we’ll have a fail-safe,” the mayor added.
Even before the coronavirus pandemic, 1.2 million people were food insecure in the city. With an estimated half-million New Yorkers expected to lose their jobs from the economic fallout of the outbreak, this number is expected to surge in the coming weeks.
“For more and more New Yorkers … people are literally asking where is my next meal coming from?” de Blasio said. “We know that the food crisis will grow.”
The city expects to deliver 10 million free meals to residents in April and up to 15 million meals in May, city officials said.
Some 4.5 million meals have already been delivered to New Yorkers in need since mid-March.
About three million of those meals — now about 250,000 a day — were served at grab-and-go sites at city schools for all New Yorkers who need them. The city has delivered another 300,000 — now about 25,000 a day — to older residents who used to eat at senior centers.
Employees of the Food Bank for New York City sort groceries into boxes on April 14, in New York City. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)
Roughly 11,000 licensed for-hire vehicle drivers have also signed up to deliver food to the most vulnerable as part of an emergency delivery program.
More than one million meals have been delivered as part of the program so far, serving 100,000 meals daily to seniors, public housing residents, the medically fragile and others. The city aims to register entire buildings for food delivery to streamline the process.
Food Bank For New York City provides food and other essentials for healthcare workers on April 14, in New York City. (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Food Bank For N)
Officials already announced $25 million in “flexible funding” will go to some 800 food pantries through a partnership with the City Council. The money can be used for staffing, equipment or food. City staff were deployed to 14 pantries short on volunteers.
New Yorkers can also donate food and goods through an online app — which amounts to some 20,000 pounds of food a day.
In order to make sure the food supply chain is protected and stores don’t close, Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia said the city is working with stores to place orders for protective gear and hire new workers.
With 90% of food coming to the five boroughs by truck, the city is also setting up two new rest areas on Staten Island and in Hunts Point for drivers “to make sure they can get the rest they need,” said Garcia, who is the city’s COVID-19 food czar.
Anyone who needs help finding access to free food or meals can call 311.
Anna Sanders is a City Hall reporter for the New York Daily News. She has previously covered New York City politics for the New York Post and the Staten Island Advance.
