By Rich Calder
A woman, left, shares some of the food she picked up at Masbia Soup Kitchen with a woman who was unable to get food there during the coronavirus pandemic.
City Council Speaker Corey Johnson and other Big Apple lawmakers demanded Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo release $50 million in emergency aid to for food pantries, which are facing unprecedented demands during the coronavirus pandemic.
“The richest city in the richest nation in the world is on the cusp of a hunger crisis,” Johnson (D-Manhattan) said in a statement Friday. “We must act now to quickly get relief to our food providers.”
Johnson and the city’s top social service nonprofits — including the Met Council — want both the state and city to each come up with $25 million each.
According to Met Council, $50 million could pay for more than 19 million badly needed meals.
City Council Speaker Corey Johnson
Thirty-two percent of the city’s emergency food programs, which include food pantries and soup kitchens, have ceased operations due to lack of supplies and resources. Many more are in danger of closing, according to Food Bank for NYC.
City Hall and the Governor’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
