James urges residents to help those in need during COVID-19

BOROUGHWIDE–New York Attorney General Letitia James told residents to lend a helping hand to those most affected by the coronavirus.

According to statistics, more than 1.4 million residents of New York City who rely on emergency food programs, and in the midst of this crisis, access to food has become increasingly difficult.

“Every day, countless people across New York City struggle to find food to eat,” James said on Saturday, March 28. “Today, that number is even greater, and food is even harder to find. As we all work to limit the impacts of this public health crisis, we must not forget about those who were already struggling before this outbreak.”

According to the city’s food rescue organization City Harvest, they made nearly 25 million visits to soup kitchens and food pantries in New York City last year.

As the COVID-19 outbreak has spread across New York City, several food pantries and soup kitchens have struggled to meet the growing demands for food assistance. Many have closed locations to protect workers and have been met by surging prices for food as availability has become scarce.

“Food pantries and soup kitchens are buckling under the weight of this new reality and as a result, thousands are desperately searching for a meal. In times of hardship, New Yorkers have always shown up for one another, and now, more than ever, people need help to eat. I encourage supermarkets and anyone who is able to please consider donating to our city’s food pantries and soup kitchens and helping to ensure that New Yorkers don’t go hungry tonight.”