“I don’t think people realize or consider how much food insecurity is a problem that can and does hit everyone—somehow, someway. In a place like New York City there’s absolutely no reason why it should be,” Olive Uche of WeThe People told Bed Stuy Villager. “But it definitely is something that needs to be addressed, considering the current state of things with the cutting of funding for certain programs, times that are ahead for us, and the administration that we have.” “I don’t think people realize or consider how much food insecurity is a problem that can and does hit everyone—somehow, someway.
In a place like New York City there’s absolutely no reason why it should be,” Olive Uche of WeThe People told Bed Stuy Villager. “But it definitely is something that needs to be addressed, considering the current state of things with the cutting of funding for certain programs, times that are ahead for us, and the administration that we have.”
Food insecurity is a major problem for tens of thousands of children, individuals, and families, who are uncertain where their next meal is coming from
“Food insecurity touches families in every corner of our city. No child should go to bed hungry in the richest nation on earth,” Attorney General Letitia James told Bed Stuy Villager.
On Monday, a federal judge dismissed the mortgage fraud charges against James, brought by President Donald Trump.
The day before, James told the paper, “As the federal government fights its responsibility to keep Americans fed, my office will keep working to ensure every New Yorker can put food on the table.”
According to published reports, 1 in 3 people have reported food hardship in 2024, and 14.6% of residents experienced food insecurity in 2022. It has worsened, not improved, throughout 2025.
In another context, but still a worthy analogy, Malcolm X once asked, “I’ve got a plate in front of me, but nothing is on it, because all of us are sitting at the same table, are all of us diners?
“I’m not a diner until you let me dine. Then, I become a diner.”
Goodwill, neighborliness, and unity in community can be seen all over the borough, city, and indeed the nation during this holiday season. Local stores, Black-owned, and small businesses donate turkeys, greens, yams, and seasonal fixings, as well as desserts. It is nice. Recipients are indeed happy to receive the victual gifts. Anti-food-insecurity advocates say that come January 1st, 2026, the hungry won’t be any less hungry because it is a new year, and their bellies were full on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and during Kwanzaa.
Last Friday, 21 November, in the Oval Office meeting with President Donald Trump, Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani said that affordability, and the “Cost of living were the focus, with “one in ten Trump supporters voting for us.”
Housing and healthcare insecurity, for some immigration status anxiety, too, remain huge problems in NYC.
‘Food insecurity continues to pose a significant public health threat in our communities, with marked disparities in food access across neighborhoods,” Coach Enid Knight, a Chronic Disease Care Manager, told Bed Stuy Villager. “Despite progress in New York City, sustained efforts, equitable resource distribution, and community engagement are necessary for meaningful progress.”
With a “food town for the community, [on Saturday, 22nd November, I was proud to witness the distribution of fresh and canned foods, including turkey and ham donations from the Department of Corrections at Junior High School 35, the turkey drive by the Department of Corrections.”
Volunteer helpers chanted, “Blessed people, bless people, and serve the community. It’s the Brooklyn way.”
Focusing on providing education on nutrition, diabetes, and other chronic diseases, the Health Wellness Coach continued, “I presented on healthy holiday eating, emphasizing the importance of informed food choices, particularly in light of the prevalence of diet-related health issues.
Given the current limitations in equitable food distribution, harm reduction strategies are vital.”
Even though the 6-week government shutdown ended three weeks ago, the effects have been economically traumatic for millions who had to juggle restricted finances and process new coping strategies.
“I’m concerned that churches and private food banks cannot meet the increased need created by Donald Trump,” Professor Gloria Browne-Marshall told Bed Stuy Villager, “From the working poor to federal workers, food insecurity is real, and will be felt this holiday season across race, class, and educational attainment.”
Mosques and churches, elected officials, community organizations, and dedicated locals have set up turkey and food giveaways. The Campaign Against Hunger, “one of the most trusted anti-hunger nonprofits working vigorously to end hunger and build health in NYC,” is one of the dedicated organizations striving to “empower vulnerable New Yorkers to live healthier, more productive, and self-sufficient lives by providing access to safe, nutritious food and vital resources.”
Aiming to improve access to nutritious food options translates to improved community health. TCAH notes that their combined efforts of pantries and food distribution center operations have provided groceries for over 20 million meals in the first year of this new model.
We The People’s Olive Uche declared that “Food is a human right, and it’s disheartening to see how many people are made to do without. I don’t know if I would say the city is efficiently addressing the issue of food insecurity, let alone across racial or class lines.
To be honest, no. However, I will say that there are quite a few collectives and individuals who are tackling the matter directly in ways that we, as Black and Brown communities, have always done. I say this, being a fellow member of a mutual aid organization based out of Brooklyn who serves the people weekly.”
Working throughout the community, with the regular feeding of folk on the corner of Nostrand Avenue and Fulton Street for example, Uche stated, “As one who sees and speaks to people often, and I can say from the interactions with our weekly visitors, sometimes they tell us it is because of the work of organizations like ours that make it possible for them to eat consistently, health consciously, and in cases that aren’t just food related, get resources for other necessary assistance.”
The situation is dire, Brooklyn Assemblymember Stefani Zinerman told Bed Stuy Villager, “The data is clear: New York is working hard to fight hunger, but we have not yet solved this crisis across race and class. Nearly one in four New Yorkers skip meals or rely on pantries—and Black and Latino families are still more likely to be food insecure even when working full-time. That is unacceptable in a city with this much wealth.”
The representative for Assembly 56th District, Bedford Stuyvesant and Crown Heights is focusing on solutions to the vast problem.
“As a member of the Assembly’s Agriculture Committee, I am advancing a food sovereignty agenda that treats healthy food as a right, not a charity. That includes investing in school-based agriculture, expanding community farms and gardens, and passing my water-exemption bill so nonprofit growers can feed their neighbors without punitive costs. It also means strengthening partners like GreenThumb, The Campaign Against Hunger, and City Harvest, who rescue and grow food in our communities every day.”
And there’s more answers to the hunger issue, Assemblymember Zinerman continued, “In Albany, we’ve taken important steps—funding free breakfast and lunch for every public school student and supporting Nourish New York and HPNAP, which connect New York farmers to food banks statewide. But emergency food is not enough. My goal is to move Central Brooklyn—and all of New York—to true food sovereignty, where every family can reliably access fresh, culturally relevant, and affordable food.”
Food insecurity is a major problem for tens of thousands of children, individuals, and families, who are uncertain where their next meal is coming from
“Food insecurity touches families in every corner of our city. No child should go to bed hungry in the richest nation on earth,” Attorney General Letitia James told Bed Stuy Villager.
On Monday, a federal judge dismissed the mortgage fraud charges against James, brought by President Donald Trump.
The day before, James told the paper, “As the federal government fights its responsibility to keep Americans fed, my office will keep working to ensure every New Yorker can put food on the table.”
According to published reports, 1 in 3 people have reported food hardship in 2024, and 14.6% of residents experienced food insecurity in 2022. It has worsened, not improved, throughout 2025.
In another context, but still a worthy analogy, Malcolm X once asked, “I’ve got a plate in front of me, but nothing is on it, because all of us are sitting at the same table, are all of us diners?
“I’m not a diner until you let me dine. Then, I become a diner.”
Goodwill, neighborliness, and unity in community can be seen all over the borough, city, and indeed the nation during this holiday season. Local stores, Black-owned, and small businesses donate turkeys, greens, yams, and seasonal fixings, as well as desserts. It is nice. Recipients are indeed happy to receive the victual gifts. Anti-food-insecurity advocates say that come January 1st, 2026, the hungry won’t be any less hungry because it is a new year, and their bellies were full on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and during Kwanzaa.
Last Friday, 21 November, in the Oval Office meeting with President Donald Trump, Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani said that affordability, and the “Cost of living were the focus, with “one in ten Trump supporters voting for us.”
Housing and healthcare insecurity, for some immigration status anxiety, too, remain huge problems in NYC.
‘Food insecurity continues to pose a significant public health threat in our communities, with marked disparities in food access across neighborhoods,” Coach Enid Knight, a Chronic Disease Care Manager, told Bed Stuy Villager. “Despite progress in New York City, sustained efforts, equitable resource distribution, and community engagement are necessary for meaningful progress.”
With a “food town for the community, [on Saturday, 22nd November, I was proud to witness the distribution of fresh and canned foods, including turkey and ham donations from the Department of Corrections at Junior High School 35, the turkey drive by the Department of Corrections.”
Volunteer helpers chanted, “Blessed people, bless people, and serve the community. It’s the Brooklyn way.”
Focusing on providing education on nutrition, diabetes, and other chronic diseases, the Health Wellness Coach continued, “I presented on healthy holiday eating, emphasizing the importance of informed food choices, particularly in light of the prevalence of diet-related health issues.
Given the current limitations in equitable food distribution, harm reduction strategies are vital.”
Even though the 6-week government shutdown ended three weeks ago, the effects have been economically traumatic for millions who had to juggle restricted finances and process new coping strategies.
“I’m concerned that churches and private food banks cannot meet the increased need created by Donald Trump,” Professor Gloria Browne-Marshall told Bed Stuy Villager, “From the working poor to federal workers, food insecurity is real, and will be felt this holiday season across race, class, and educational attainment.”
Mosques and churches, elected officials, community organizations, and dedicated locals have set up turkey and food giveaways. The Campaign Against Hunger, “one of the most trusted anti-hunger nonprofits working vigorously to end hunger and build health in NYC,” is one of the dedicated organizations striving to “empower vulnerable New Yorkers to live healthier, more productive, and self-sufficient lives by providing access to safe, nutritious food and vital resources.”
Aiming to improve access to nutritious food options translates to improved community health. TCAH notes that their combined efforts of pantries and food distribution center operations have provided groceries for over 20 million meals in the first year of this new model.
We The People’s Olive Uche declared that “Food is a human right, and it’s disheartening to see how many people are made to do without. I don’t know if I would say the city is efficiently addressing the issue of food insecurity, let alone across racial or class lines.
To be honest, no. However, I will say that there are quite a few collectives and individuals who are tackling the matter directly in ways that we, as Black and Brown communities, have always done. I say this, being a fellow member of a mutual aid organization based out of Brooklyn who serves the people weekly.”
Working throughout the community, with the regular feeding of folk on the corner of Nostrand Avenue and Fulton Street for example, Uche stated, “As one who sees and speaks to people often, and I can say from the interactions with our weekly visitors, sometimes they tell us it is because of the work of organizations like ours that make it possible for them to eat consistently, health consciously, and in cases that aren’t just food related, get resources for other necessary assistance.”
The situation is dire, Brooklyn Assemblymember Stefani Zinerman told Bed Stuy Villager, “The data is clear: New York is working hard to fight hunger, but we have not yet solved this crisis across race and class. Nearly one in four New Yorkers skip meals or rely on pantries—and Black and Latino families are still more likely to be food insecure even when working full-time. That is unacceptable in a city with this much wealth.”
The representative for Assembly 56th District, Bedford Stuyvesant and Crown Heights is focusing on solutions to the vast problem.
“As a member of the Assembly’s Agriculture Committee, I am advancing a food sovereignty agenda that treats healthy food as a right, not a charity. That includes investing in school-based agriculture, expanding community farms and gardens, and passing my water-exemption bill so nonprofit growers can feed their neighbors without punitive costs. It also means strengthening partners like GreenThumb, The Campaign Against Hunger, and City Harvest, who rescue and grow food in our communities every day.”
And there’s more answers to the hunger issue, Assemblymember Zinerman continued, “In Albany, we’ve taken important steps—funding free breakfast and lunch for every public school student and supporting Nourish New York and HPNAP, which connect New York farmers to food banks statewide. But emergency food is not enough. My goal is to move Central Brooklyn—and all of New York—to true food sovereignty, where every family can reliably access fresh, culturally relevant, and affordable food.”
