Congressman Dan Goldman Presents $250,000 Grant Award to Community Help in Park Slope Inc. for Mobile Food Pantry Unit
Goldman Secured $9,036,948 for Projects in NY-10 in FY 2024 Appropriations
Funding Will Be Used to Better Serve Neighborhoods Without Access to Quality, Affordable Produce
Photos and Video from the Award Presentation Here
Brooklyn, NY – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) today presented Community Help in Park Slope, Inc. (CHiPS) with a $250,000 Community Project Funding Grant Award, which was included in the final passage of HR 4366, ‘The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024.’ Goldman secured $9,036,948 for community projects in NY-10 in the FY 2024 appropriations process.
The award will be used to expand CHiPS' Mobile Food Pantry program. Demand for CHiPS food pantry distribution has risen rapidly, with meals served increasing by over 100 percent in the last year, the highest in the organization’s 50-year history. Faced with the rising need in the community, the mobile food pantry allows CHiPS to further travel into neighborhoods without access to quality, affordable produce and serve residents throughout Brooklyn.
“In the face of an increasing need for fresh, quality food, CHiPS has continued to step up to the plate and deliver for our community,” Congressman Dan Goldman said. “The $250,000 I secured for CHiPS will help the organization continue serving our neighbors in food deserts. I will continue to work alongside them to address food insecurity and ensure they have the resources they need to continue this great work.”
Peter Endriss, Executive Director of Community Help in Park Slope, Inc. said, “The Community Project Funding Grant Award that CHiPS received through Congressman Goldman's office will enable us to greatly increase the amount of food insecure New Yorkers we will be able to help with access to fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as nutritious shelf-stable items. Our pantry program has become a life-line for many of our neighbors, allowing them to eat better, put nutritious food on their family table, and not go to bed hungry.”
CHiPS’s mission is to work toward a world where everyone is well-fed and safely sheltered. As a result of the influx of migrants in the city, CHiPS is now serving close to 500 meals a day, six days a week, up from 150 daily meals pre-COVID. Demand for pantry bags has also increased.
With a Mobile Food Pantry Unit, CHiPS would be able to travel to neighborhoods without access to high-quality, affordable fresh produce, such as Wyckoff Houses, and Gowanus Houses, both part of the New York Public Housing complexes, and local community centers and schools, where they plan to distribute approximately 400 bags each week, in addition to the 200-250 bags that they distribute at their home location. Each bag will be filled with nutritious shelf-stable options, as well as fresh and often organic produce donated by Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods and the Park Slope Food Co-Op.
The Mobile Food Pantry Unit will also host cooking demonstrations, using ingredients in pantry bags, inspiring visitors on healthy recipes to make at home. This expansion will greatly benefit the community by making a dent in food insecurity amongst friends and neighbors in food deserts, bringing quality food directly to residents to make healthy, nutritious food accessible to all.
With the continually rising cost of food, the influx of migrants, and the high number of city residents living in food deserts, need for these provisions continues to grow. CHiPS has expanded their food pantry distribution days to Thursdays and Saturdays, giving out 100-150 bags per day. CHiPS also distributes 100 special pantry bags weekly for migrants, many of whom only have access to microwaves in their temporary shelters. These bags contain ready-to-eat items such as tear-away tuna packets, microwavable meals, cereal and shelf-stable milk, oatmeal, microwavable rice and beans, and tortillas.
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