Keeping essential services essentially
human in the age of coronavirus
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
COURIER LIFE, AUGUST 14-20, 2020 21
OP-ED
BY SHAREN I. DUKE
Gregory Meade takes the
subway. It’s not because he’s
fearless. It’s because he’s on
a mission. He wears a mask
and carries several more along
with other personal protective
equipment. The bags he totes
are fi lled with pantry provisions
and food vouchers. His
frequent subway rides will include
stops in every borough.
Gregory is delivering hope
and health to people in need
and helping us provide essential
services to New York City’s
most vulnerable population—
folks who are suffering from
a range of chronic illnesses,
substance use, poverty, and
homelessness, who now, under
the cloud of COVID-19, are too
sick, frightened, isolated, or
otherwise unable to reach necessary
services.
Now, even as the coronavirus
releases its grip on our
city, our nonprofi t, Alliance for
Positive Change and countless
others like us are adapting to a
new world where we must fi nd
ways to pivot from what has essentially
been a face-to-face operation
to one that goes beyond
a face mask. The pandemic has
forced us to consider how an
agency that’s in the business
of social services and public
health can provide assistance
when all of the rules for helping
no longer apply.
Gregory, one of our legion
of trained volunteers and peer
advocates, is part of the solution.
“Some of these people
are afraid to go outside,” the
23-year-old says. “But I check
on them, and make sure they
are okay. It humbles me to help
out at a time like this.” It’s not
that this Bed-Stuy resident believes
he’s invincible; it’s quite
the opposite. Six years ago, he
arrived on our doorstep, seeking
help. Alliance offered him
in-person support and a welcoming
community.
Gregory and others like
him have literally been a lifeline
for many of our clients.
And while these personalized
deliveries are powerful, the
model is not a one-size-fi ts-all
solution for us or the community
we serve.
For many, simply having
a place to go, a professional
to speak with, or a peer to offer
counsel is critical to their
progress. Grabbing a snack
or having a meal was an everpresent
option for all those
who came to our six locations
for services, workshops and
training, or to get medications
from our pharmacy access
center.
But with several of our
doors still closed or only partially
open, we needed a revised
strategy for providing
sustenance and addressing
the increasingly severe issue
of food insecurity. We quickly
supplemented the delivery
service that Gregory was a
part of with grab and go meals
available at three of our centers.
We secured support to
distribute hundreds of meals
each week. And for those
hundreds of people who were
homebound or unable to get to
us, we began mailing or delivering
food gift cards twice a
month, along with masks, recipes
and resources.
Throughout the pandemic,
our goal has been to provide
continuity of service, and to
do it with the kindness and
humanity that is our trademark.
Home deliveries certainly
checked the boxes, but
they were not a solution to
reach everyone. We wondered
how a food gift card arriving
in the mail might be received.
We quickly learned that this
innovative approach brought
with it the dignity of not having
to stand in a food line and
the freedom to get the food
that you not only need but that
nourishes you, or is part of
your culture.
Denise Rambert, a recipient
of the gift cards whose
diet recommends certain
foods, was overjoyed. “It was
the only way I was able to get
the veggies that I need to keep
healthy,” she says
From the beginning, we
thought about the countless
interactions between staff,
peers and the people we serve
and the essentially “social”
part of our social services. We
could not always rely on Zoom
or other technology because
they just were not easily or
readily available to many clients.
But we could connect via
telephone. And we are.
Staff and volunteers make
thousands of calls each month
to provide information and offer
support, and we encourage
all New Yorkers to support organizations
like Alliance that
are on the frontlines. Homebound,
Denise says these efforts
lift her spirits. “It’s the
help I needed at the right
time.”
Sharen I. Duke is the founding
Executive Director and
CEO of Alliance for Positive
Change (www.alliance.nyc).
An open letter from the Shorefront Partnership Alliance
BY MAURICE H. KOLODIN,
CRAIG EATON,
STEPHEN (BUTCH) MORAN &
JOYCE ARBERMAN
Shorefront Partnership
Alliance wishes to gratefully
thank those Partners/Sponsors
who participated in, and
donated funds for the cost of,
our three recent Appreciation
events.
The events were a Donut
Dessert Party consisting of
several hundred donuts that
were presented for all of the
employees of Menorah Center
for Rehabilitation and Nursing
Care, and Pizza Parties for
the 61st Police Precinct and
the 60th Police Precinct. Each
Precinct received 40 large
cheese pizza pies for the offi -
cers and civilian personnel of
the precinct.
The Partners/Sponsors
who contributed are Congressmember
Hakeem Jeffries,
State Senator Diane Savino,
State Senator Andrew Gounardes,
Assemblymember
Steven Cymbrowitz, Assemblymember
Helene Weinstein,
Councilmember Mark Treyger,
Councilmember Kalman
Yeger, 45th AD Democratic
Club-Bay Democrats (District
Leaders Ari Kagan and Margarita
Kagan), 41st AD Democratic
Club (District Leaders
Brad Reid and Lori Maslow),
Manhattan Beach Community
Group, Brighton Neighborhood
Association, Law Offi ces
of Eaton & Torrenzano, Rybak
Development, and DII Stores.
We are forever thankful for
your trust and support. You
have proven that you are committed
to the best interests of
our residents and businesses.
Maurice H. Kolodin, Craig
Eaton, Stephen (Butch) Moran,
and Joyce Arberman are
the leaders of the Shorfront
Partnership Alliance.
/www.alliance.nyc
/(www.alliance.nyc)
