Many people in the city benefit from food pantries.
At the beginning of the pandemic it was estimated that some six million people did not have the means to buy basic food.
And you know children are children. What they want is to eat. They don’t know if there is or there isn’t. And neither can we tell you no, I don’t have, but that you have to satisfy your needs. If we want them to be successful, we have to feed them well. ”
Aidez Ainos Flores has 2 children, ages 8 and 11, and she and her family were among those needy New Yorkers.
“With the pandemic, we all get sick at home. Then again we were in the rush to stop working. But thank God we had the SNAP that helped us to feed ourselves, “Flores added.
And according to a new report from the nonprofit Hunger Free America, there are many people who found relief in the federal SNAP or food stamp program.
“It helps for a day for a lunch, but if a person wants to eat 3 times a day, the SNAP and WIC programs are the ones that do give that support,” said a representative of the organization.
The federal government increased funding for SNAP, earning New York City an additional $ 140 million.
The program helped prevent many New Yorkers from going hungry, according to representatives from Hunger Free America. Still, they add, there is a lot of work to be done.
“This report shows that one in every 7 people here in New York is still going hungry,” the Hunger Free America representative added.
The organization is dedicated to providing information on how to apply for food aid programs.
They go to food pantries to reach people in need.
“We want people to receive the highest benefits they deserve. But sometimes people don’t know exactly what is necessary about the process, ”said the representative.
In the Bronx, the problem is worse – one in four people face food insecurity – and it affects the finances of many families.
“Thinking about what I work to pay my rent, my electricity, my internet, which right now is not a luxury, but a necessity,” said Flores.
But there is help available.
There are pantries throughout the city and Hunger Free America offers on their website hungerfreeamerica services in several different languages, including Spanish, to connect families with the resources they need.
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