NEW YORK—A long line of people gathered in front of the West Harlem Community Kitchen on West 116th Street on Wednesday afternoon. In spite of the chill in the air, the line for the special Thanksgiving feast catering to New Yorkers in need began forming long before the doors opened at 1 p.m.
The New York Food Bank, which operates the West Harlem Community Kitchen and the adjacent food pantry, served approximately 800 people at the holiday feast. Among the people helping in the service line was General Welfare Committee Chair and Councilwoman Annabel Palma.
The New York Food bank is a network of about 1,000 organizations working in all five boroughs to relieve hunger in New York.
According to Carlos Rodriguez, vice president of agency relations, the network serves more than 1.4 million people across the city. There has been a 25 percent increase in the number of people served by the Food Bank since the economic downturn, said Rodriguez.
In a special holiday effort, the Food Bank distributed about 250,000 birds—turkey and other poultry—to people in need, both in the community kitchens and through the pantry for those planning to have a holiday dinner at home.
In addition to operating the kitchens and the pantries, the Food Bank also offers assistance in filling out food stamp applications and tax reports, as well as provides nutritional consulting, teaching people how to buy healthier food with less money. More than 30,000 tax returns were completed with the assistance from the New York Food Bank last year, said Rodriquez.
“It is my way of giving back,” said Palma, revealing that she was homeless in the mid-1990s but managed to rise from that state through hard work and by taking advantage of the opportunities that came her way.
“I know how hard it is. Coming here, volunteering and serving a meal to someone who otherwise wouldn’t have a meal … it’s rewarding,” she said.
Palma did not come to the kitchen for a photo op. She and her staff got busy behind the service line so quickly that it was hard to find a quiet moment to have a few words with her. There were no statements or microphones, just a hairnet and gloves, which are a mandatory garb in the service and preparation areas.
“Good education leads to good employment, and good employment leads to being self sufficient,” said Palma, adding that in order to genuinely solve the problem of hunger, there is a need to help New Yorkers with work placement and getting their GED.
“There is good progress in the city government, with an inter-agency effort [set up] to tackle such issues,” she said.
The New York Food Bank, which operates the West Harlem Community Kitchen and the adjacent food pantry, served approximately 800 people at the holiday feast. Among the people helping in the service line was General Welfare Committee Chair and Councilwoman Annabel Palma.
The New York Food bank is a network of about 1,000 organizations working in all five boroughs to relieve hunger in New York.
According to Carlos Rodriguez, vice president of agency relations, the network serves more than 1.4 million people across the city. There has been a 25 percent increase in the number of people served by the Food Bank since the economic downturn, said Rodriguez.
In a special holiday effort, the Food Bank distributed about 250,000 birds—turkey and other poultry—to people in need, both in the community kitchens and through the pantry for those planning to have a holiday dinner at home.
In addition to operating the kitchens and the pantries, the Food Bank also offers assistance in filling out food stamp applications and tax reports, as well as provides nutritional consulting, teaching people how to buy healthier food with less money. More than 30,000 tax returns were completed with the assistance from the New York Food Bank last year, said Rodriquez.
“It is my way of giving back,” said Palma, revealing that she was homeless in the mid-1990s but managed to rise from that state through hard work and by taking advantage of the opportunities that came her way.
“I know how hard it is. Coming here, volunteering and serving a meal to someone who otherwise wouldn’t have a meal … it’s rewarding,” she said.
Palma did not come to the kitchen for a photo op. She and her staff got busy behind the service line so quickly that it was hard to find a quiet moment to have a few words with her. There were no statements or microphones, just a hairnet and gloves, which are a mandatory garb in the service and preparation areas.
“Good education leads to good employment, and good employment leads to being self sufficient,” said Palma, adding that in order to genuinely solve the problem of hunger, there is a need to help New Yorkers with work placement and getting their GED.
“There is good progress in the city government, with an inter-agency effort [set up] to tackle such issues,” she said.
