WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES APRIL 2, 2020 7
Photo courtesy of Woodbine
Woodbine offers Ridgewood community
free food pantry and mutual aid resources
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
AACEVEDO@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
Woodbine, Ridgewood’s
volunteer-run experimental
hub, is offering
resources and services to the community
during the coronavirus
health emergency.
Woodbine has partnered with
Hungry Monk, a New York City
based homeless outreach and community
response vehicle, to open a
food pantry.
“Normally, our space functions as
a cultural and community hub, and
a space for organizing,” said Matt
Peterson, an organizer at Woodbine.
“But we mostly hosted events,
like Sunday dinners, co-working, we
also helped start community garden
— but all of that ended. We had to stop
due to the pandemic.”
But Peterson said that part of their
mission is to fi nd innovative ways
to organize and connect with their
neighbors and figure out how to
help each other — and a food pantry
is one of those ways they can have
immediate impact.
Food distribution will take place
outside of their space, located at
1882 Woodbine St. in Ridgewood,
Wednesdays and Fridays at 10 a.m.
Woodbine will focus on providing
fresh produce while Hungry
Monk will provide dry and canned
food on Tuesdays, Thursdays and
Saturdays.
They are pre-bagging food items so
that people can pick up and go easily
while maintaining social distancing
precautions.
Their selection of food will change
every day and week, depending on
what they receive. For instance, their
fi rst pick-up bags on Friday, March 27
each had potatoes, caulifl ower, kale,
basil, bread, 2 boxed salads, green
sauce, banana bread with walnuts,
and a dark chocolate Kind bar.
Woodbine is also off ering homedistribution
of food and supplies for
those in the Ridgewood area who are
currently experiencing coronavirus
symptoms, or who are otherwise unable
to pick up food on-site.
Peterson added that they hope to
bring back their annual Summer
Farm Share, which take place on
Saturdays from June to October, and
will partner again with Rock Steady,
a cooperative farm in Millerton,
New York. They’ve been hosting the
summer and winter community supported
agriculture since 2015.
“We think there will still be a need
for people to purchase fresh food and
help our local farmers,” Peterson said.
Woodbine also launched a new
Mutual Aid section on their website,
in order to highlight the local
information and resources that the
community may need — including
the names and contact information
of their elected offi cials.
In fact, Woodbine is currently
advocating for rent to be canceled.
“We started talking to a lot of our
neighbors and one of the big things
we’ve heard is that many people
aren’t working,” Peterson said. “Lots
of New Yorkers live paycheck to
paycheck and this has been going
on for two to three weeks now. We
saw there’s a lot of other relief like
eviction and mortgage moratorium,
but Cuomo left rent a bit vague.”
Peterson said they’ve contacted
their local offi cials, and was glad
to hear that Senate Deputy Leader
Michael Gianaris is working on
legislation to suspend rent for
residential and commercial tenants
for 90 days; Congresswoman Grace
Meng is introducing a similar bill to
provide relief for the duration of the
pandemic.
But they believe it’s ultimately up
to Gov. Andrew Cuomo to suspend
rent before April 1. On Monday,
March 30 , Cuomo said he doesn’t
support the measure.
“A mortgage moratorium only
works for a certain class. Even with
an eviction moratorium, you’re putting
people in a bad position, because
a lot of tenants live near or in the
same building as their landlord,”
Peterson said. “Legislative action
would solve a lot of issues, like the
national rent strike that people are
organizing. Rather than get to that
point, it would be better for Cuomo
to off er that relief to renters.”
For Ridgewood residents who want
to take advantage of Woodbine’s services
or for more information, visit
their website at www.woodbine.nyc.
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