City Island comes together to start grocery
shopping and food distribution effort
BRONX TIMES R 4 EPORTER, MAY 22-28, 2020 BTR
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BY JASON COHEN
A small and tight-knit Bronx
community has been a shining
light amongst all of the doom and
gloom.
On City Island, children, seniors,
adults, organizations, businesses
and politicians have all
banded together to fi ght COVID-19.
City Island Civic Association
President Bill Stanton recalled
that in mid-March, he spoke with
people on the board and discovered
many residents were nervous
about going to the supermarket.
So, through networking and
outreach, various businesses and
organizations agreed to partner up
and feed the neighborhood. This
spawned the creation of City Island
Strong.
“It makes us feel good,” Stanton
said. “You’re not embarrassed
about asking for help. It came to
the point where I love my neighbors
so much that I told them
you’re not leaving, I’m going shopping
for you.”
The group posted about City Island
Strong on the civic Facebook
page and soon began organizing
home deliveries in collaboration
with the Boy Scout Troop 211 and
the American Legion Leonard
Hawkins Post 156.
“We’re all trying to keep the restaurants
in business,” he said. “It
does very much have a village atmosphere,
which makes you want
to get out and help.”
Lifelong City Island resident
and civic member Barbara Dolensek
shared that it has been
nice to see people of all ages pitch
in. Elected offi cials Councilman
Mark Gjonaj and Senator Alessandra
Biaggi have also stepped up.
“Over the last several weeks,
my team and I have distributed
tens of thousands of free meals
to nourish our communities in the
wake of this crisis,” Biaggi said.
“It has been a privilege to partner
with local community groups
across District 34 to feed our
neighbors, and I look forward to
continuing this collaborative effort.”
Dolensek told the Bronx Times,
this is a place where everybody
knows each other, so these actions
do not surprise her.
By mid-May, the volunteer effort
was going strong, and last
week distributed many cooked
meals to Island residents, either
directly or through local houses
of worship. The cooked meals
were provided by Island resident
Michael Proietti, a chef and by
Biaggi and P.S. 175.
By emailing cityislandstrong@
gmail.com, residents who could not
get out could ask for volunteers to
shop for them. Boy Scouts picked
up meals at P.S. 175 and took them
to Pilot Cove, the senior residence.
Donations were made to the group
by a number of Islanders and local
restaurants offered to freeze
meals for future deliveries.
Dolensek said she would be remiss
not to thank Teri Kurtz, who
responds to the City Island Strong
emails and assigns tasks, Bill
Clancy, treasurer of the group, Peter
Del-Debbio, commander of the
American Legion Leonard Hawkins
Post 156, James Goonan, who
is organizing the Boy Scouts, Angelo
Bellocchio, who is also a Boy
Scout leader, Community Board 10
member Marjorie Velasquez, Michael
Proietti, who has been cooking
meals and Reverend David Jolley
of the Methodist Church. A sign at Hawkins Park Courtesy of James Goonan
/gmail.com
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