Today I write to you, filled with gratitude, due to the collective efforts of our Tenant and Resident Association Presidents! My office has been working remotely for four weeks now, but we have not ended our constituent services outreach to our friends and neighbors within District 35.
As you know, we first partnered with MARP and One Community to deliver over 20,000 pounds of food to neighbors in NYCHA and everywhere else in the district. We didn’t stop there, we found another partner in Bed Stuy. In the last two weeks, my office, in partnership with the Bed Stuy Campaign Against Hunger, has arranged for 1200 bags of food and fresh produce to be delivered to our neighbors at Ebbets Field and Tivoli Towers! We serve five NYCHA developments and we have been working with the Campaign Against Hunger to deliver hundreds of boxes of food to Lafayette Gardens, Farragut Houses and Ingersoll Houses as well. I would like to personally extend my gratitude for the Bed Stuy Campaign Against Hunger and their outstanding contributions. Additionally, thanks to an organization called Rock CAN Roll, who provides rescued food from Whole Foods, and Trader Joe’s, we have been able to distribute pounds and pounds of fresh produce including eggs, milk, strawberries, grapes, and yogurt.
Despite the dire need for food distribution, we are always concerned with abiding by social distancing guidelines. To that end, I would like to extend another special thank you to Detective Eusebi of PSA3 and his NYPD officers who have helped to ensure social distancing during food distribution. I am overjoyed to tell you that Farragut Houses has received 300 bags of food and will continue to receive weekly deliveries, in addition to assistance from PSA3.
In addition to Farragut, Lafayette Gardens has been receiving a weekly delivery of 300 bags, which we will continue to provide as long as resources allow. Ingersoll Houses have also received pounds and pounds of fresh produce and meats from Rock CAN Roll and hundreds of bags of food, weekly from the Bed Stuy Campaign Against Hunger. We have also been able to provide our neighbors with twenty-five $85 gift cards to Wegmans and $600 worth of food from Wegmans. Whoooo! This is further evidence that when we come together, we can do wonderful things!
As I mentioned at the outset of this letter, this would not have been possible without the continuous help and cooperation from our resident association Presidents. Thank you to Mr. Mitchell from Tivoli Towers, Ms. Newsome from Ebbets Field, Mr. Burgess, A.K.A Divine, from Ingersoll Houses, Ms.Bell from Walt Whitman and Ms. Andrews from Farragut. Atlantic, we are coming your way.
Each large development in our district will be provided for in whatever way we can. As long as resources are available, Tivoli Towers, Ebbets Field and all of our NYCHA buildings will receive a minimum of 300 bags of food, per week. If you need food delivered, please do not hesitate to call my office at (718)260-9191, we can arrange for individual deliveries as well! As we continue to coordinate these deliveries weekly, we could use some assistance. If you are interested in volunteering, please email
tyoung@council.nyc.gov. If you are interested in making a monetary contribution, please donate to Bed Stuy Campaign Against Hunger.
I understand that we are all navigating through a challenging period of time, but I hope that we can all agree on one thing; nobody should have to worry about where their next meal is coming from. I am committed to making sure that everyone in District 35 has access to the resources they need. Whether that be something more simple such as Arts and Culture, or something so dire such as food and water. We will remain #TogetherApart, no matter what it takes.
As always, wash your hands frequently, practice social distancing when going out for essentials, and stay connected! #SpreadJoyNotGerms
Take care and stay well,
Laurie A. Cumbo
Majority Leader, New York City Council
Recent Comments