Congressman Dan Goldman Requests Funding for Park Slope Mobile Food Pantry
Funds to be Used for ‘Community Help in Park Slope’ Mobile Food Distribution Vehicle to Meet Increasing Needs of Low-Income Communities in Brooklyn
Read the Letter Here
New York, NY – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) requested $250,000 in the Fiscal Year 2024 budget forCommunity Help in Park Slope, Inc. (CHiPS) to acquire and equip a vehicle for a mobile food pantry unit. 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 organizations 150-year history. Faced with the rising need in the community, a mobile food pantry will allow CHiPS to further travel into neighborhoods without access to quality, affordable produce and serve NYCHA residents throughout Brooklyn.
“I am incredibly proud of the work that CHiPS has done in our community to address the food insecurity that far too many New Yorkers face,” Congressman Dan Goldman said. “Whether it’s newly arrived immigrants just getting started in our city, NYCHA residents living in food deserts, or those simply having difficulty with the rising cost of food, everyone deserve access to high-quality, nutritious meals, and CHiPS has stepped up to serve. With a mobile food pantry, CHiPS will be able to expand their reach to even more communities and I will work to support their efforts in any way I can.”
Shanice Branch, CHiPS Director of Development said, “Recently, we received a call from a CHiPS guest who shared how grateful she is for the food that she and her husband receive from CHiPS everyday. Her voice choked up with gratitude for what we do, as she and her husband depend solely on the nutritious, hot, fresh meals that we prepare in-house daily. We work hard everyday to make a difference in the war on food insecurity and housing inequities in NYC's BIPOC population, but it really moved us all to hear just how deeply we are needed and appreciated. Since 1971, we have been there for the city's voiceless, feeding and sheltering those in need via our soup kitchen and Frances Residence. We are determined to continue to be there for those who depend on us and to expand our reach to local food deserts.”
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 over 400 meals a day, six days a week, up from 150 daily meals last year. Demand for pantry bags has also increased. Until mid-2022, CHiPS was distributing 150 pantry bags weekly, filled with shelf-stable grocery items, such as rice and beans, cereal, and pasta and sauce, in addition to fresh and often organic produce, provided by their community partners Trader Joe’s and the Park Slope Food Co-Op.
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 a local YWCA, where they plan to distribute between 450-750 bags each week, in addition to the 150 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, Wholefoods 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 over 100 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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