$581K federal grant helps food bank provide healthy food to New Yorkers

NEW YORK (PIX11) -- A new $581,000 federal grant is providing a beacon of hope for New York City families battling food insecurity, especially in underprivileged communities in Lower Manhattan and Northwest Brooklyn that lack access to affordable, healthy food options.

The grant, secured by Congressman Dan Goldman, will directly benefit the UA3 Food Bank Network, allowing it to expand food storage capabilities and acquire an electric delivery vehicle to serve more families in need.

For Sandra Strother, President of the Grand Street Guild Resident Association which provides affordable housing on the Lower East Side, the funding represents a vital lifeline. "We became aware of the food insecurities during Covid, but actually they existed before then," Strother said. "My day-to-day is making sure my seniors and people are safe and fed."

Strother has witnessed firsthand the harsh realities of hunger and poverty in her community. Even before the pandemic exposed the depth of the crisis, she took residents to another pantry recognizing the need for food assistance.

The grant comes as a relief for Strother's elderly residents surviving on limited, fixed incomes. "They go from paycheck, you know, they have to make a choice between paycheck and food sometimes," she explained. This funding, she says, ensures they can access sufficient food without sacrificing other basic necessities.

Congressman Goldman emphasized that directing federal funds to local groups is a way to make a real difference when partisan gridlock stalls progress in Congress. "It is really special to be able to put the investment in the organizations that are leading the community and make sure that we are bringing federal funds back to the district to serve the community and the community's really basic needs."

For UA3, the grant is a game-changer that will enable more efficient operations, according to Don Hong, President and Chairman of Board at UA3. "We're getting a Green electric environmental friendly truck to be not only a refrigerated truck, it's a large commercial truck that will allow us to be a mobile food bank," said Hong. "We will be able to serve better, healthier food in Brooklyn. We will be able to spread healthier food in Queens and, and, and up in Harlem."