[[link removed]]Dear John,





Since the very first days of the pandemic, we’ve seen an inspiring outpouring of mutual aid and organizing to support vulnerable New Yorkers. In the grimmest of times, that spirit of dedication and service has been a guiding polestar.

The need, in particular for emergency food services, isn't going away anytime soon. More than 2 million New Yorkers are food insecure, including 400,000 children. Nearly 1 in 5 New Yorkers are out of a job right now. With the loss of federal unemployment benefits and continued business closures and layoffs, that number may only grow. So the work to help sustain people continues, along with the love and solidarity and creativity behind it.

Traditional emergency food providers have had to adapt dramatically to feed people during the crisis. The Masbia Soup Kitchen [[link removed]] in Borough Park and Flatbush was founded with the idea of being as much like a restaurant as possible, provide seated meals and dignity for visitors. But to meet the need, they shifted right away to distributing boxes of groceries to an ever growing line of neighbors. Some food pantries that previously relied on volunteers had to hire staff, and many were forced to close in the first few months of this crisis (many of them are open again now). CHiPS [[link removed]] and the Brooklyn Relief Kitchen [[link removed]] have teamed up in our neighborhood and across the borough.

Mutual aid networks and everyday New Yorkers stepped in to fill the gap. Nowshin Ali, owner of Jalsa Grill & Gravy on Coney Island Avenue turned her restaurant into a staging area for the food distribution work of her non-profit, People in Need. Nowshin and her volunteers have been feeding hundreds [[link removed]] of South Asian residents of Kensington every week for the last several months. When I visited last week, not only were they distributing hundreds of boxes of food for families ahead of Eid al Adha, but volunteers were also helping people fill out the Census, answering questions about evictions and housing rights, and connecting people with immigration lawyers. Thanks to those of you who have donated reusable bags over the last few months, hundreds of them have been used by People in Need to distribute groceries. Keep them coming!

[photos]

In the next few weeks, pandemic EBT funds [[link removed]] should be coming to all New York City public school parents, with $420 per child that can be spent on groceries at most supermarkets and NYC Greenmarkets. If you already have an EBT card the funds should show up in your account. If you don’t, look out for a card to arrive in the mail. The cards are not transferable, but everyone should use the funds, since we need healthy and nutritious food for our families, and we need that federal money to go to NYC businesses. If you don’t plan to use EBT funds to buy groceries for your family, consider making an equivalent donation to an emergency food provider, or use your card to buy groceries directly for an emergency food provider. Here are some ways to do that:

*
Pledge
[[link removed]]
to
donate
the
equivalent
of
your
P-EBT
to
the
Kensington/Windsor
Terrace
Mutual
Aid
Network.


*
Visit
Rossman
Fruit
&
Vegetable
District
(770
3rd
Ave,
Brooklyn,
11232)
and
tell
the
cashier
you
are
purchasing
for
South
Brooklyn
Mutual
Aid.
They’ll
ring
up
your
P-EBT
card
for
a
bulk
order.


*
Head
to
Bingo
Wholesale
(1245
61st
St,
Brooklyn,
11219)
and
tell
them
you
are
buying
for
Masbia
Soup
Kitchen.


*
Call
or
email
the
Windsor
Terrace
Food
Coop
(718-972-4600
or
by
email
[email protected]
[[link removed]]
)
to
use
your
P-EBT
card
to
place
an
order
for
People
in
Need.



Thank you, for all the ways you are showing up for each other, and our broader community.

Brad

In this email:
Updates and Resources
Upcoming Events

Updates and Resources

*
Latest
Virus
Data:
There
were
241
new
cases
identified
yesterday,
and
9
more
New
Yorkers
died
from
the
virus.
We
have
lost
23,550
people
in
NYC
from
the
virus,
and
225,964
total
cases
have
been
identified
in
the
city.
Currently,
the
percent
of
tests
that
came
back
positive
remains
low,
1.0%
as
of
yesterday.


*
Storm
Preparation:
Tropical
Storm
Isaias
is
expected
to
bring
high
winds
and
a
lot
of
rain
to
NYC.
There’s
a
flash
flood
watch
warning
in
effect,
and
the
heaviest
rain
is
expected
between
12
and
2
pm
today.
The
City
is
monitoring
the
storm
closely,
as
is
ConEd.
If
you
experience
a
power
outage,
let
ConEd
know
by
calling
1-800-75-CONED
(1-800-752-6633).
Some
tips
for
being
prepared:

*
Have
a
flashlight
and
fresh
batteries
on
hand.
Charge
your
phone
and
fill
up
some
pitchers
with
water
just
in
case.


*
Secure
items
on
front
and
back
yards,
decks,
and
rooftops.
If
you
know
of
neighbors
who
are
NOT
in
town,
please
contact
them
if
they
have
outside
furniture
in
their
yards
and
roof
gardens.


*
Please
check
on
neighbors
who
may
not
have
the
means
to
get
in
and
out
easily
(new
parents,
older
adults,
folks
with
disabilities).
Offer
to
get
them
some
supplies
if
you're
going
out.


*
Have
a
pet
plan
to
make
sure
your
pets
are
safe.


*
Please
keep
your
sidewalks
cleared
if
there
are
fallen
branches.


*
Sign
up
for
Notify
NYC
[about:blank]
to
get
updates
from
the
City
(and
see
other
tips
here
[[link removed]]
).




*
Rent
Relief
Application
Still
Open:
The
application
deadline
for
COVID
rent
relief
has
been
extended
to
August
6.
The
COVID
Rental
Assistance
Program
will
provide
direct
aid
for
tenants
who
lost
income
due
to
the
COVID-19
pandemic.
It
is
funded
through
the
Coronavirus
Relief
Fund,
which
is
part
of
the
CARES
Act.
New
Yorkers
can
access
the
program
application
here
[[link removed]]
.


*
Keep
Prospect
Park
Clean:
Both
Prospect
Park
Alliance
and
NYC
Parks
have
lost
critical
funding,
and
the
park's
seasonal
workforce
is
significantly
smaller
compared
to
previous
years.
Please
carry
out
of
the
park
everything
you
bring
into
the
park
with
you,
and
please
clean
up
your
trash
and
litter.
Prospect
Park
Alliance
is
looking
for
volunteers
[[link removed]]
to
help
out
with
community
clean
up
days
on
Mondays
and
serve
as
volunteer
greeters
and
trash
picker
uppers
on
weekends.
I
did
it
a
few
weeks
ago,
and
will
be
out
there
again
soon.
It's
a
great
way
to
get
to
know
and
give
back
to
the
park
that
is
giving
us
all
such
joy
during
this
long
COVID
summer.



Upcoming Events

Thursday, August 6 at 7 PM: Mobilizing Our Communities for Outdoor Space for Schools Townhall. Register here. [[link removed]]

Join us to connect with parents, teachers, and advocates to organize for schools to be able to use more outdoor space and share creative ideas and resources for outdoor learning already being developed in schools around the city.

Weekly: Sign up to make calls with the Neighbor Network. Sign up for a training here [[link removed]] .

The Neighbor Network matches volunteers with seniors to call in New York City during the COVID-19 crisis.These regular calls help to fight social isolation, connect older New Yorkers with the resources they need, and build relationships that will bring joy and comfort to seniors and volunteers alike.The Neighbor Network is a partnership between my office and service providers Greenwich Houses and Heights and Hills.

Lander for NYC
456 Fifth Avenue, 3rd Floor, Suite 2
Brooklyn, NY 11215
[email protected]

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