Congressman Dan Goldman Requests Funding for UA3 Food Bank Network in Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn
Funds to be Used to Expand UA3 Food Bank Storage Capacity and Reach with Electric Mobile Distribution Vehicle
Read the Letter Here
New York, NY – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) requested $581,000 in the Fiscal Year 2024 budget forUA3, Inc. to expand their food storage capacity with dry and cold storage units and an electric delivery vehicle to preserve and store nutritious foods and streamline and improve energy-efficient food distribution to low-income residents of Lower Manhattan and northwest Brooklyn. The UA3 Food Bank Network includes a partnership of 130 community-based organizations throughout Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn and has experienced a marked increase in demand for fresh produce and groceries. UA3’s cold storage facility would be the first of its kind in Manhattan.
“I am incredibly proud of the work that UA3 has done in our Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn communities to address the food insecurity that far too many New Yorkers face,” Congressman Dan Goldman said. “From the Lower East Side and Chinatown to Sunset Park, UA3 is working to ensure that all New Yorkers have access to high-quality, fresh meals. With expanded food storage and a clean energy mobile distribution vehicle, UA3 will be able to increase their reach and I’m looking forward to supporting them in their mission.”
Chi Loek, Executive Director of UA3, Inc. said, "UA3 is incredibly grateful to Congressman Dan Goldman forinvesting in UA3 Food Bank Network Project. His selection of UA3’s first of its kind cold storage in Lower Manhattan and for an electric vehicle for the Community First Food Pantry shows his commitment to serving his constituents on the most basic level of food insecurity. We are proud also of his commitment to clean energy in choosing our project. UA3 looks forward to continuing our work with Congressman Goldman and servicing the immediate needs of New Yorkers."
Founded in 2016, UA3 has made great strides in serving disadvantaged students, adults, and nonprofits throughout New York City and has witnessed first-hand the rise in food insecurity. This increase is felt especially hard for organizations like UA3 that serve new migrants and traditionally underserved communities.
The Poverty Tracker report shows that food pantry use among low-income non-citizen New Yorkers nearly doubled, from 17 percent to 30 percent, compared to an increase from 18 percent to 20 percent among low-income citizens. And according to Robin Hood community partner City Harvest, in the first half of 2022, New Yorkers visited food pantries and soup kitchens 3.5 million times per month on average — that’s up 69 percent from the first half of 2019. Food banks and pantries operated by emergency food partners throughout the five boroughs are feeling the strain, with many reporting significant increases in visits from non-citizen individuals and families.
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