Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
Q&A
Specific concerns about food access in The Bronx
0:36:41
ยท
3 min
This chapter focuses on Council Member Ayala's concerns about limited food access in The Bronx and the need for more creative solutions. First Deputy Commissioner Berry addresses recent funding allocations and commits to exploring partnerships with other city agencies.
- The Bronx received the largest share of recent additional funding due to its significant supply gap and high poverty rates
- Council Member Ayala emphasizes the need for more brick-and-mortar locations and creative solutions beyond mobile pantries
- First Deputy Commissioner Berry commits to reaching out to the Department for the Aging and NYC Public Schools to explore increasing food access
- Discussion highlights the challenge of expanding food access beyond the existing providers in The Bronx
Diana Ayala
0:36:41
I think I'm I'm primarily concerned here about, you know, boroughs like The Bronx where there aren't any brick you know, aren't very many brick and mortar locations and that, you know, the mobile pantry sites are not may not be enough.
0:36:57
And so I know that I asked this at the prelim preliminary budget hearing, but I'm really interested in in hearing from DSS what conversations have been had with you know the Department for the Aging to maybe increase pantry sites in some of their senior centers or working with the DOE to identify locations within some of the schools to help identify you know more locations that because I I I get it.
0:37:26
I have a hard time too when I'm distributing my food pantry funds in The Bronx.
0:37:31
There aren't that many people to give the funding to.
0:37:33
So we rely heavily on, you know, certain groups which is unfair, right, because I mean some of them are like at already at, you know, a tipping point.
0:37:43
But I just haven't heard or seen, you know, what the plan is to address
Jill Berry
0:37:51
this.
0:37:53
So
Diana Ayala
0:37:55
I like the mobiles.
0:37:56
I just don't rely I don't think that the mobiles are like the you know, like you it's complicated.
0:38:03
Right?
0:38:03
People need to people need to know, okay, I I can go to, you know, Saint Ann's Church on Thursdays and, you know, Tuesdays and Thursdays, and I'm gonna, you know, be able to get what I'm gonna you know, whatever they're they're giving out that day.
0:38:13
But with the mobiles, I don't I'm not too sure how that how that works.
0:38:18
I mean, my experience is that, you know, they they move around a lot and so what has DSS done in the in The Bronx specifically to ensure that we are increasing the number of sites because the number of of funds that are going into The Bronx are significantly lower than that of Manhattan.
Jill Berry
0:38:35
So yeah.
0:38:36
So I understand your question.
0:38:38
So the what we have done since the preliminary budget hearing is with the 2,500,000.0 that we allocated, over a billion dollars went to The Bronx.
0:38:50
The Bronx got the largest share of that funding because they did have the largest supply gap.
Diana Ayala
0:38:56
And the highest number of, poverty and food insecurity.
Jill Berry
0:38:59
Yes.
0:39:00
All of those things.
0:39:01
And they did get the bulk of that 2,500,000.0.
0:39:07
Just in terms of the mobile pantries, I know that there are certain mobile pantries that specifically go to older adult centers and park outside of older adult centers on a regular day of the month and do have that partnership.
0:39:23
But you're right, there is more we can do and I will commit to reaching out to Department for the Aging in New York City Public Schools following this hearing to see what else we can do to increase number to work with them to increase the the number of pantries or access to food through mobile pantries.
Diana Ayala
0:39:41
Yeah.
0:39:41
Yeah.
0:39:42
I think it just, you know, we need to be a little bit more creative about how we get food to folks.
0:39:48
Because even if we're getting a million we got a million extra, but the million is going to the same, you know, three groups.
0:39:53
You know.
0:39:54
I mean the outreach, the you're not expanding right?
0:39:58
Because you're I mean you're still meeting a need because it's significant, but there may be parts of the the borough that are not benefiting from that.