Pantry finds new home: Church takes in Highbridge group
BY Tanyanika Samuels NY Daily News
The food fight in Highbridge is over.
The Community Food Pantry at Highbridge, which had been locked in an eviction battle with its landlord since last fall, has moved.
"There is a sense of relief," said Nurah Amat'ullah, who heads the pantry. "It was a trial for us."
The pantry is now located in the Highbridge Community Church Annex at 1272 Ogden Ave.
"We're truly appreciative of the church taking us in," Amat'ullah said, "and we'll see where we go from here."
The eviction dispute started in October after the building owners, Highbridge Community Housing Development Fund Corp., demanded the pantry evacuate a 450-square-foot garage at 1362 Merriam Ave.
The pantry's agreement with the nonprofit after-school program Highbridge Voices, a subsidiary of the building owners, had lasted since 2006.
But then the nonprofit's founder, Bruno Casolari, returned to the helm, and the group's attorneys ordered the pantry out by Nov. 6.
Pantry officials challenged the eviction and the landlord's claims of vermin infestation and lack of in
surance.
A legal settlement was finally reached this month. Casolari did not return several calls seeking comment. The church annex is one-fourth the size of the previous pantry, roughly 100 square feet. "It's a very tight squeeze, with barely enough room to pack food for the growing number of families we serve," said Amat'ullah, who also heads the Muslim Women's Institute for Research and Development.
The number of people served by the pantry has jumped 20% in recent months to 2,231 households, pantry officials said, while funding has dropped 25%. Some staffers have been furloughed. Meanwhile, the pantry is trying to continue its services, including serving the more than 230 children registered in its Open Market Backpack Program, which provides nutrition education. Staffers remain optimistic. "We've been working hard to get the word out about our new location, posting notes and giving out fliers and relying on a lot of word of mouth," said office manager Denise Richards. "Hopefully, it will all turn out for the best."
The food fight in Highbridge is over.
The Community Food Pantry at Highbridge, which had been locked in an eviction battle with its landlord since last fall, has moved.
"There is a sense of relief," said Nurah Amat'ullah, who heads the pantry. "It was a trial for us."
The pantry is now located in the Highbridge Community Church Annex at 1272 Ogden Ave.
"We're truly appreciative of the church taking us in," Amat'ullah said, "and we'll see where we go from here."
The eviction dispute started in October after the building owners, Highbridge Community Housing Development Fund Corp., demanded the pantry evacuate a 450-square-foot garage at 1362 Merriam Ave.
The pantry's agreement with the nonprofit after-school program Highbridge Voices, a subsidiary of the building owners, had lasted since 2006.
But then the nonprofit's founder, Bruno Casolari, returned to the helm, and the group's attorneys ordered the pantry out by Nov. 6.
Pantry officials challenged the eviction and the landlord's claims of vermin infestation and lack of in
surance.A legal settlement was finally reached this month. Casolari did not return several calls seeking comment. The church annex is one-fourth the size of the previous pantry, roughly 100 square feet. "It's a very tight squeeze, with barely enough room to pack food for the growing number of families we serve," said Amat'ullah, who also heads the Muslim Women's Institute for Research and Development.
The number of people served by the pantry has jumped 20% in recent months to 2,231 households, pantry officials said, while funding has dropped 25%. Some staffers have been furloughed. Meanwhile, the pantry is trying to continue its services, including serving the more than 230 children registered in its Open Market Backpack Program, which provides nutrition education. Staffers remain optimistic. "We've been working hard to get the word out about our new location, posting notes and giving out fliers and relying on a lot of word of mouth," said office manager Denise Richards. "Hopefully, it will all turn out for the best."
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