Lower East Side volunteers
create free Christmas day buffet
BY DEAN MOSES
Volunteers from the
East Village Neighbors
Facebook page spent
Christmas day distributing free
meals to Lower East Side’s hungry
beside the symbol of their greatest
achievement—the Lower East
Side Community Fridge.
Community refrigerators offering
free food to those in need are
swiftly becoming lauded social,
empathetic experiments, popping
up throughout Manhattan
and the surrounding boroughs.
From Chinatown to 77th Street
and deep into Elmhurst, Queens,
these meal repositories are a
gateway to greater neighborhood
unity. According to those who
have established these sites, by
showing less fortunate residents
compassion and providing them
with essentials it is hoped that
people of all walks of life can
cooperate to create hubs with
less crime and greater outreach
Volunteers with East Village Neighbors helped distribute
dozens of meals on Christmas Day.
programs. However, with the COVID
19 pandemic still raging and
food insecurity at an all time high,
keeping these locations stocked is
a near impossible task.
It is often reported that these
fridges and pantries are emptied
within an hour after they are
stocked, so in order to ensure
PHOTO BY DEAN MOSES
every empty belly was fed this
holiday season, about 14 individuals
erected tables outside of
Sarita’s Mac And Cheese on 12th
Street and 1st Avenue, fl aunting
cooked meals, bottles of juice,
cans of tuna, and snacks such
as cookies and pretzels. A line
quickly formed where brown bags
plastered with candy canes were
fi lled to the brim with chosen
goodies from the array of delectable
delights.
This Christmas food giveaway
is the latest initiative by the East
Village Neighbors to combat food
insecurity in the Lower East Side.
The growing Facebook group
was fi rst founded in March by
Diane Hatz as a virtual haven for
Manhattanites to organize aid for
those homebound and suffering
from hunger in the wake of what
was then an unknown virus. Beginning
with GoFundme pages to
raise money for essential purchases,
over the course of nine months
since its inception, the fl edgling
group has grown exponentially
to over 1,000 members that not
only collaborate on relief efforts,
but also small assistance acts like
gifting neighbors used televisions
or helping them carry grocery
shopping to their apartment.
During this time, resources
were also supplied to help create
a pantry at the 6th street community
center before ultimately
leading to the creation of the
organization’s pride and joy in
October: the Lower East Side
Community Fridge. Despite being
praised by some locals for providing
the less fortunate with free
meals without the long, winding
lines, things haven’t been smooth
sailing for the altruistic venture.
The fi rst night the refrigerator
was established it was pushed
over, destroying it completely.
Undeterred, a second icebox was
bolted to a large wooden pallet.
Since then, the news of the
pantry, refrigerator has grown,
prompting both local businesses
and residents alike to chip in and
keep the area stocked with food.
“It’s really cool how the whole
community has come together. I
think people just really want to
help each other at this point in
time. We are all going through a
diffi cult time in one way or another
and we all feel concerned
about people who don’t have
enough food to eat. Food has
been so important during the
pandemic,” Edie Meyer, a prominent
member of the East Village
Neighbors said.
6th Precinct boss warns of package thieves around area
BY DEAN MOSES
On Dec. 22, the NYPD
6th Precinct Community
Council Hosted
their fi nal board meeting of the
year via Zoom, rounding off the
discussion on crime statistics and
prevention in the Greenwich Village
and the West Village areas.
NYPD 6th Precinct Commanding
Offi cer, Captain Stephen Spataro,
provided a brief overview of
the various issues they face and
highlighted that the biggest matter
this month–and since the rise
of the COVID-19–pandemic has
been package theft with one particular
culprit standing out above
all others this holiday season.
“We do have a pattern. There
is a person dressed up as a FedEx
employee going in and taking
packages out. We’ve reached out
to a department at FedEx, and we
don’t believe the person is currently
employed by FedEx. They
could have bought the uniform,”
Spataro said.
The suspect is described as
a light-skinned man around 40
years old wearing the traditional
black and purple FedEx clothing.
This individual is reported to
enter premises without packages
and then is seen again leaving
with boxes under his arm. “We
identifi ed that he is probably a
perpetrator and is not a legitimate
FedEx employee. He is going into
the vestibule with no packages.
He is going in with nothing and
coming out with packages. That is
a pretty good indication, and that
doesn’t sit right,” Spataro said.
Due to the holiday season, December
is the highest-rated month
for this kind of theft. In regard
to crime prevention, Spataro
advises everyone to take a look at
their building’s entrance. If they
think that someone can get into
their building easily, they should
request the landlord or superintendent
install a steel plate along
the entrance door so that it’s diffi
cult for someone to tamper with.
If you have any information
on a crime or any other incident,
Spataro stressed that you should
NYPD 6th Precinct Commanding Chief Captain Stephen
Spataro led the discussion during their virtual Community
Council meeting on Dec. 22.
contact the police department
immediately.
“Crime prevention officers
have visited various areas to
offer simple solutions such as
placing a steel plate on a door to
stop someone from breaking the
door. Take a look at your doors,
if you are not sure if it’s secure,
the NYPD offers a free survey to
give recommendations on how to
fi x it,” Spataro said.
SCREENSHOT
Additionally, the captain
stressed that if you see someone
who does not live in the building,
do not confront them. Observe
the person’s appearance, so that
you can provide a detailed description
of the individual, specifi -
cally pay attention to their shoes.
“Shoes are really good because
they are less likely to change. Call
and the NYPD will investigate,”
Spataro said.
The Zoom session on Dec.
22 was the last meeting for the
year and their second to be held
virtually. For Offi cer Maureen
Carey, these digital sessions have
a different tone and atmosphere,
but for now the Zoom meetings
help residents keep up to date on
information regarding the state
of their neighborhood crime
statistics, as well as affording
residents the opportunity to ask
the department’s Commanding
Officer questions concerning
them about their neighborhood.
After underscoring the package
theft issue, Spataro dived right
into an overview of the crime
statistics over a 28-day period
and year to day measurement.
He expressed that overall crime
is down by about 21%, however,
burglaries, robberies, and felony
assaults are the biggest issues still
being faced.
If you are interested in fi nding
out more about your local precinct’s
community meetings, visit https://
www1.nyc.gov/site/nypd/bureaus/
patrol/fi nd-your-meeting.page
4 Dec. 31, 2020-Jan. 6, 2021 Schneps Media
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