Dear John,

The challenges facing our city are enormous, and it is going to take a lot of work from all of us together to come back from this crisis as a stronger, more equitable, more just city. Even as our federal government continues to fail us, there’s so much inspiring work happening right here in our community to demand change, keep people fed and supported, prevent evictions, and fight to ensure going back to school is safe and equitable for everyone. I’m grateful for all the ways everyone is showing up for one another.

New Yorkers in need of food assistance can call 311 to get routed to the nearest emergency food provider, or visit our resource page for a list of local food pantries and mutual aid networks. For those facing evictions, a call to 311 or visit to the City’s new tenant portal can help connect you with legal assistance. Our office is also here to help, email us at [email protected].

But even as we fight for a much stronger response, from the city, from the state and from the federal government, there are many ways that we can show up locally to care for one another and our collective resources. Here are two:

Join me next Monday morning for Prospect Park Alliance’s weekly “It’s My Park” Clean Up day. You can meet us at the Bandshell (9th Ave entrance) at 10 am on 8/17, or sign up to help out on another day here.

As many of you have probably noticed, Prospect Park is looking a little worse for the wear, and it is getting a lot of wear this summer! The park has been a lifeline for so many of us seeking open space for recreation, exercise, and physically distant socializing. Sadly, budget cuts have left fewer staff to help keep the park looking its best. Prospect Park Alliance is organizing volunteers to give back to the park by picking up trash, greeting park goers, and generally keeping the park tidy.

I have to say, picking up trash in the park is a satisfying task, especially in a time when so much right now feels outside of our control. Passersby are grateful, the impact of your work is immediately visible, and you know it’s contributing to our collective benefit. But if that’s not doable for you, here's another way to support our community from home:

Join me next Thursday 8/20 for a phonebank to get out the count for the Census. Sign up here.

The Trump administration announced last week that they will be cutting short the Census enumeration period, the latest in a series of politicized efforts to undercount urban areas, communities of color, and immigrants. The census is a simple 10 questions that takes just 10 minutes to fill out, but the results will shape the next 10 years for our community. New York stands to lose 1-2 Congressional seats and billions in federal funding for hospitals, roads and schools, we cannot afford to be undercounted.

We’ll do a quick training and then hit the phones together. At our Census phonebank in July, 25 of us together made 1300 calls to New Yorkers in just an hour and a half. We’re hoping to beat that precedent next week, but we will need your help to do it!

Sign up here to join our Census phonebank next week.

Picking up trash in the park and calling Brooklyn neighbors for the Census may be small acts, but the collective impact for our community will be widely felt.

Brad

In this email:
Updates and Resources
Upcoming Events

Updates and Resources

Latest Virus Data: There were 274 new cases identified yesterday, and 6 more New Yorkers died from the virus. We have lost 23,592 people in NYC from the virus, and 228,343 total cases have been identified in the city. Currently, the 7-day rolling average percent of tests that came back positive remains low, 1.0% as of yesterday.
Getting a COVID-19 Test: Wait times for getting a COVID-19 test at some private health centers around the city are unacceptably long, but our understanding is that you can still get a test with a reasonable turnaround time at most NYC Health and Hospital sites. Find a site here.
ConEd Update: Some New Yorkers are still without power an entire week after Tropical Storm Isaias. If you lost power for more than 48 hours, you may be eligible for reimbursement for spoiled food from Con Ed. More details here.
New Tenant Portal: The mayor announced a new tenant protection portal to help tenants facing eviction get access to legal counsel and other resources.
New Domestic Violence Text Line: The Met Council has a new secure text hotline, which will erase the text conversation so that an abuser cannot read it. Text 917-540-0225 to be connected to a Master's level social worker ready to help. Or call the Met Council's Domestic Violence hotline at 212-453-9618.
Camp Friendship Foodbank looking for volunteers and donations: The pop-up foodbank run by Camp Friendship, located at 339 8th Street (between 5th & 6th Avenues), is accepting donations of money, non-perishables, and individually wrapped baked goods and looking for volunteers to help out on Tuesdays and Saturdays. More details here.
Pandemic EBT: All New York public school families should receive pandemic EBT to replace the school lunches and breakfasts that students are not receiving at school. If you already have EBT, the balance should show up in your account. If you don’t, a card will be mailed to you. If you have not received your benefits, call the Pandemic-EBT helpline at 1-833-452-0096. If you want to share your pandemic EBT with others, read our guide for how to do so here.
DOE Townhalls on Back-to-School: The Department of Education is hosting two upcoming citywide townhalls on their back-to-school plans. There’s one tonight at 6:30-8:00 PM and another on August 27 from 6:30-8:00 PM. Sign up here.

Upcoming Events

Mondays, August 17, 10 AM: Prospect Park “It’s My Park” Clean Up Day

Both Prospect Park Alliance and NYC Parks have lost critical funding, and the park's seasonal workforce is significantly smaller compared to previous years. Join me to help pick up trash and clean up the park. Meet at the Bandshell at 10 AM or sign up here to join another day.

Thursday, August 20, 5:45 PM to 8:00 PM: Census Phonebank. Sign up here.

The Trump administration is cutting short the time for canvassing for Census responses, but NYC is still really behind and facing the risk that communities of color will be seriously under counted. Join us to call New Yorkers in neighborhoods with low response rates to make sure everyone is counted.