- Title: Neighbors come together to feed the needy hard hit by COVID-19
- Date: 1st February 2021
- Summary: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (JANUARY 27, 2021) (REUTERS) FOOD BEING GIVEN TO PEOPLE IN LINE BAGS OF FOOD BEING GIVEN TO A WOMAN WOMAN HANDING OUT BLUEBERRIES PEOPLE WAITING IN LINE WOMAN'S FACE NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF PROBATION SUPERVISING PROBATION OFFICER, YVETTE BROWNRIDGE, GREETING PEOPLE IN LINE (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF PROBATION SUPERVISING PROBATION OFFICER YVETTE BROWNRIDGE, SAYING: "Well everyone needs, everyone needs, everyone's here to get something, there's no judgment. There are so many of our community and our clients that went without jobs that are focused and needing social services. So we opened up our doors to service everyone." NEW YORK CITY PROBATION OFFICER ASSISTANT, SHATIA BURKS, HELPING TO MOVE TABLE BURKS WAVING FOOD BEING HANDED OUT (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF PROBATION SUPERVISING PROBATION OFFICER, YVETTE BROWNRIDGE, SAYING: "On average, about 1,900. Yes. This is a serious, serious issue and we're servicing everyone. This pandemic has made all of us in common. So we're all out here, clients and all. We're making sure that we take care of our neighbors." YOUTH MENTOR, BELOVED HAMMOND, MANAGING THE LINE (SOUNDBITE) (English) YOUTH MENTOR, BELOVED HAMMOND, SAYING: "So the process of me and my brother being able to work here. My mother loves it. Our kids get to keep us home. I'm not doing eight years in jail, no more." VARIOUS OF HAMMOND TALKING WITH OTHER MEN (SOUNDBITE) (English) YOUTH MENTOR, BELOVED HAMMOND, SAYING: "How I'm able to feed these people? I eat the same food they eat. But I got to first understand the way they want to be treated is the way I want to be treated. So we manifest that by just being out here for the pantry line, greeting them in the morning, telling them that we love them, telling them that it's going to be OK, showing them that it's going to be OK." MAN PUTTING OUT BLUEBERRIES VARIOUS OF FOOD BEING HANDED OUT BAGS OF CEREAL ON TABLE (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF PROBATION SUPERVISING PROBATION OFFICER, YVETTE BROWNRIDGE, SAYING: "We look forward to continuing this work even beyond the pandemic. We're doing it before. We're doing it on a grander scale now, and we look forward to ensuring that we support our community until things at least get some sort of normal." MAN WALKING AWAY WITH GROCERIES
- Embargoed: 15th February 2021 14:26
- Keywords: Beloved Hammond COVID-19 Department of Probation Harlem NYC Yvette Brownridge community food food bank pantry
- Location: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
- City: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Human Interest/Brights/Odd News,Society/Social Issues,United States
- Reuters ID: LVA001DXTCM6F
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Neighbors are helping neighbors in New York City's Harlem survive the COVID-19 pandemic by handing out free, healthy food.
To meet this unprecedented challenge, the New York City Department of Probation organized a food pantry with an uncommon mix of workers. There are law enforcement officers and people who have served time behind bars, corporations, and nonprofit groups.
Twice a week in Harlem, outside the Living Redemption Youth Opportunity Hub, a community service organization, the New York City Department of Probation hands out food to anyone in need. And the need is great. The line usually extends around the block.
"Well everyone needs, everyone needs, everyone's here to get something, there's no judgment," said Yvette Brownridge a supervising probation officer with the NYC Department of Probation.
Before the pandemic, the Department of Probation gave away food to people transitioning from the justice system to help them get back on track. People would come into a grocery store-like setting to pick out their food. Since the pandemic, the program has expanded to include anyone in need. And all of the food is safely pre-packaged and handed out outside with limited personal contact.
There is a Probation Department pantry in each of the city's five boroughs and they serve more than 9,000 people every week. The Harlem location helps about 1,900 people in a week. Before the pandemic, the five pantries together helped about 2,000 families every week.
"This is a serious, serious issue and we're servicing everyone. This pandemic has made all of us in common. So we're all out here, clients and all. We're making sure that we take care of our neighbors," Brownridge said while handing out food.
Beloved Hammond, 42, is part of the team. Hammond, a former gangster, served eight years behind bars for robbery. He is now a youth mentor with the Living Redemption Youth Opportunity Hub. Living Redemption partners with the Probation Department to keep at-risk young people from going down the path of crime and violence.
Hammond said it's important for him to be a positive influence in his community.
"Just being out here for the pantry line, greeting them in the morning, telling them that we love them, telling them that it's going to be OK, showing them that it's going to be OK," he said.
Each pantry hands out enough food to feed a family for a week. Bundled up in plastic bags are cereal and milk, blueberries, meats, fish, fresh produce, as well as Starbucks sandwiches and cheese platters. Most of the food is supplied by the Food Bank for New York City and other corporate partners such as Starbucks and Target.
The pantry also delivers bags of food to the elderly in the neighborhood and to people who cannot leave their homes.
Communities of color have been hit especially hard by the pandemic. With jobs such as front-line caregivers, essential bus drivers, and grocery store clerks, Black and Latino communities have a higher rate of hospitalization and death due to COVID-19 than their white peers. Black Americans are also being hit harder by the pandemic's economic fallout, losing jobs, businesses, and opportunities for advancement.
Brownridge said the food pantries are just one way to help the community through the crisis. The Probation Department also offers free clothing and help with job placement.
"We look forward to continuing this work even beyond the pandemic. We're doing it before. We're doing it on a grander scale now, and we look forward to ensuring that we support our community until things at least get some sort of normal."
(Production: Angela Moore, Andrew Hofstetter) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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