7 BRONX WEEKLY May 24, 2020 www.BXTimes.com
Harlem restaurant teams up with Bronx organization
and local senator to feed the community
BY JASON COHEN
A chef, a nonprofi t and a politician
from two boroughs are
coming together to help people
during the pandemic.
On May 20, Senator Jamaal
Bailey was joined by Chef JJ
Johnson, of Harlem restaurant
FIELDTRIP and Sonia Bancroft,
executive director of HeadStart
North Bronx National Council
of Negro Women Child Development
Center, where they established
a meal program that helps
feed kids and families in the
community.
The restaurant will provide
reheatable versions of its popular
rice bowls that contain rice,
a protein and wok vegetables, as
well as a produce box that will
include fruit and veggies.
“This pandemic has affected
many communities and
families,” Bailey said. “There
has been tragic loss, massive
amounts of unemployment and
an extensive amount of stress
and uncertainty. Although
COVID-19 has had a devastating
effect on New Yorkers, more
than ever, community members,
businesses, and organizations
have stepped up to the plate to
help those in need.”
“Stepping up to help take
care of our nurses, doctors and
hospital staff working to keep
us healthy and safe was some
of the most rewarding work
FIELDTRIP has done,” Johnson
said. “But now we look forward
to expanding our community
service efforts as we work to address
food insecurity and a lack
of access to healthy food options
with the help of HeadStart.”
The program follows FIELDTRIP’s
work in feeding frontline
workers in hospitals across upper
Manhattan and the Bronx.
With the help of donors, FIELDTRIP
was able to produce 35,000
meals that were delivered to
hospitals and kids in shelters
over the eight week period since
restaurants were mandated
to limited capacity because of
COVID-19.
Each food box included the
following food items:
12 o • unces of gluten free
Cheerios
• six bags of whole grain
or pretzel Goldfi sh or
rice cakes
• whole wheat or gluten
free bread
• baby carrots
• three peaches
• three apples
• three mangoes
• one bunch of bananas
• one pouch of celery
• one cucumber
• one bunch of spinach
• a half gallon of 1 percent
milk or two two quarts of
Lactaid
• two fi ve ounce cans of
tuna
• a one pound pack of
sliced turkey
• two organic Stoneyfi eld
yogurts (plain and vanilla)
• a chicken bowl with
brown rice, collards and
sweet potatoes
• a veggie bowl with brown
rice, black beans, broccoli,
sweet potatoes and
collards Chef JJ Johnson (right) distributing food Photo via instagram.com/fi eldtripharlem
City Island comes together to start grocery
shopping and food distribution effort
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.
Troop 211 of the Boy Scouts on City Island getting ready to deliver meals to seniors at Pilot Cove.
Photo courtesy of James Goonan
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