Interfaith
Community
Services feeds
needy in the
East Village
BY DEAN MOSES
Interfaith Community Services
is fi ghting hunger in the East
Village one bowl of food at a
time.
The COVID-19 pandemic has
seen an exponential increase in
both homelessness and hunger.
One need only to stroll through
the Lower East Side’s Tompkins
Square Park to see an abundance
of individuals bundled up, sleeping
rough on the grass and the
winding concrete pathways and
benches. With the loss of funding
to social outreach programs,
the homeless and low-income
communities are having an even
harder time gaining food insecurity
aid.
The amalgamation of affl uence
and poverty residing in one single
area has perhaps never been so
prevalent. The East Village is
At Tompkins Square Park, Adi Tarantino leads the meal distribution
effort with Interfaith Community Services volunteers.
a blend of two extremes: those
who live in luxury apartments
intertwined with rent-stabilized
and low-income housing. There
are also those who fall into the
cracks of the housing crisis, individuals
who can’t even afford
a home.
One religious organization is
striving to make a small difference
in this critical situation by
feeding those in need every Monday,
Wednesday, and Thursday
morning at 9:30 a.m.
For the past 22 years, Interfaith
Community Services has been attempting
to address a basic need
in the Lower East Side—food.
This organization operates on a
multitude of levels, starting with
the distribution of food. The
outreach team has attempted to
gain a rapport with homeless individuals,
allowing them to be allies
when making referrals to social
services and other forms of aid.
Led by 73 year-year-old Adi
Tarantino, a small table is erected
a few days a week during the
At Tompkins Square Park, individuals line up to receive free meals PHOTOS BY DEAN MOSES
from members of Interfaith Community Services.
morning hours beside Tompkins
Square Park, on the corner of
7th Street and Avenue A, where
Individuals bare the bitter
cold three times a week just
to receive a warm cup of tea
and prepared meals by Interfaith
Community Services.
volunteers man a steaming pot
and juice-fi lled cooler from which
they distribute drinks and warm
meals to those in need.
As word of this effort grows,
the modest stand swiftly becomes
bombarded with more hungry
mouths each time they set up
shop, sometimes forcing the team
to employ traffi c cones in order to
control the growing line.
“We have a project trying
to put a little love in the world.
We are feeding people, homeless
people—anybody, we feed anybody.
It doesn’t matter whether
they live in a cardboard box or
a penthouse,” Tarantino told
amNewYork Metro.
Tarantino also says seeds of the
concept for this outreach effect
grew from the way humans are
taught from a young age, such as
playing musical chairs, to fi ght for
the winning spot. He believes that
this mindset enforces a behavior
that does not promote teamwork,
but rather competition. He wants
his work in the Lower East Side
to inspire others to lend a helping
hand with no judgement.
“Some people think competitively
like that, but there is
another way to look at the world.
You have to try to help people,”
Tarantino said.
This organization’s members
consist of a variety of faiths,
including Christian, Muslim, and
Jewish people, and although the
program has been in effect for
over 20 years, those at Interfaith
Community Services believe the
neighborhood is in need of support
now more than ever. From
rapid store closures, tremendous
upticks in unemployment, and
record-high food insecurity all
over the city, the religious group
says they are just putting some
love into the world, and they affi
rm their work will help heal one
person at a time.
“The food has a purifying effect
on anyone who eats it. If the
cook is angry, the anger goes in
the food. If the cook is worried,
the worry goes in the food. So
here we are cooking with love.
This is an endeavor to care for
people,” Tarantino said.
Interfaith Community Services
has been in operation for over 20
years and spends approximately
$10,000 a month on this feeding
program. The funds are raised
by renting out a hostel. With the
rent paid by occupants, the group
uses these profi ts to give back by
helping feed those in need.
Since the advent of the COVID
19 virus, the ability to sustain
an ever-growing need has become
exceedingly more diffi cult to keep
up with the demand. Still, they
say they welcome the opportunity
to serve God and the people.
Members of Interfaith Community Services have seen their
lines grow longer and longer as food insecurity pervades New
York City.
4 January 28, 2021 Schneps Media