Longer Lines at Food Banks in the Bronx

BY Nicole Collins AND Emily S. Rueb, New York Times

Food pantries across the city are seeing longer lines, and those in the Bronx, the poorest urban county in the nation, are no exception.
As Sam Roberts reported last week, the median household income in the Bronx was $35,033, and nearly 28 percent of the borough’s residents — and 47 percent of its households headed by women with children — were living in poverty.
At the St. Francis of Assisi food pantry in Morris Heights, Ines Gonzalez, the pantry’s coordinator, has noticed an increase in the number of people seeking help. More recently, she says more of these people are unemployed and illegal immigrants. Every month, the pantry serves an average of more than 2,000 children, 2,300 adults and 400 seniors. Last week, the pantry served 282 children, 311 adults and 69 seniors, according to records she keeps for Catholic Charities and the Food Bank for New York City.
Like most food pantries, St. Francis of Assisi’s serves a person or a family once a month to ensure it can serve as many families as possible. Ms. Gonzalez said she did not like turning people away, however, and tried to accommodate people facing particularly dire circumstances.
“Some people say they don’t have enough for their children; they need it,” she said. “And they are crying and we have to help them. They tell you a lot of stories. We don’t ask any questions. Some people get angry and you can’t take any risks. Sometimes, people are looking for trouble, so we don’t try to argue with anyone.”
Ms. Gonzalez said she had seen the same people standing in line at St. Francis on Thursday, and then standing in line at another pantry on Friday. Some come from as far away as Brooklyn to receive goods in the Bronx. ARTICLE