Yorkville Common Pantry - December 2006 Charity-of-the-Month
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Yorkville Common Pantry
8 East 109 Street
New York NY 10029
tel: (212) 410-2264
fax: (212) 410-3923
email: 247@ycp.org
web: http://ycp.org/
Make a tax-deductible donation to the Yorkville Food Pantry by clicking here
The Yorkville Common Pantry in New York City is a Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry that serves over 1,000,000 meals per year to homeless and hungry people and helps them regain their dignity.
OUR MISSION
The Yorkville Common Pantry (YCP) is dedicated to reducing hunger and promoting dignity and self-sufficiency. YCP champions the cause of the hungry citywide through food pantry and meal distribution programs, nutrition education, basic hygiene services, homeless and other support services.
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YORKVILLE COMMON PANTRY: THE FIRST 25 YEARS
Since it opened its doors in 1981, Yorkville Common Pantry (YCP) has grown from a small neighborhood pantry and soup kitchen serving 30 families into one of New York City’s largest, most active and innovative organizations providing food and support services to 30,000 New Yorkers. While the programs have expanded and changed over the past 25 years, YCP’s mission to reduce hunger and promote dignity and self-sufficiency has remained constant. In addition, YCP’s commitment to innovation and collaboration to better serve the community’s needs has defined its unique standing among other food programs in New York City.
When volunteers from Upper East Side churches and synagogues first formed YCP, they operated out of the basement of Holy Trinity Church on 91st Street and 1st Avenue and served primarily elderly in the area. In 1982, due to an increase in demand for services, the organization moved to its current East Harlem community, where it began to also serve families, the disabled, immigrants and individuals struggling to make ends meet. That same year YCP started providing hot dinners three nights a week to anyone in the neighborhood who walked through his or her doors, initiating YCP’s pledges to never turn away anyone.
By the early 1990’s, YCP recognized that more and more homeless people were in need of services. Thus in 1992, with an initial grant from the Robin Hood Foundation, YCP created Project Dignity, a program serving hot breakfast, on-site support services, and access to haircuts, showers and laundry facilities for homeless men and women. Then in 1994, YCP opened the doors to Dignity Shelter, a 12-bed men’s shelter that was originally open four nights a week and has since expanded to seven. In 1996, YCP joined Lenox Hill Neighborhood House and the Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter to form the East Side Homeless Network, a collaboration that coordinates services for the homeless in East Harlem among the three organizations that is still in existence today.
In addition to adding services specifically for the homeless, YCP expanded its pantry days to assist another segment of the community—the working poor, men and women working one or more low-wage jobs yet still struggling to make ends meet. In 2000, YCP began opening the pantry doors on Saturdays for those families with one or more working members. The expanded pantry also proved to be especially helpful due to the large increase of demand that occurred after 9/11. According to a study done by the Food Bank for New York City, 80% of soup kitchens and 84% of food pantries in New York City reported increased demand for food assistance after September 11 and that unemployment, homelessness and inadequate wages had the largest impact on the demand. While some agencies had to scale back the amount of food given in order to provide for more clients, YCP had nearly tripled the number of meals distributed by the end of 2001.
Over the years, in its efforts to continually respond to the ever-growing need, YCP has collaborated with several other organizations to provide programs. While many of these collaborations are not still in existence, they are hallmarks of YCP’s dedication to listening to clients, experimenting with ways to better serve their needs, and being receptive to work with other organizations to provide expanded services. YCP has collaborated with the following organizations: The Momentum Project to serve meals for individuals living with HIV/AIDS; ACT to provide housing and support services for homeless individuals with mental illness; New York City Department of Health to provide counseling for HIV and TB prevention and treatment; Mt. Sinai Hospital and Bowery Residence Committee to supply on-site health screening and treatment; Interfaith Neighbors to offer an after school program for girls; and The Robin Hood Foundation to sponsor an employment readiness program.
In addition the East Side Homeless Network, YCP currently works with several organizations to offer clients a comprehensive range of services. Support from the Partnership for the Homeless ensures successful operation of the Project Dignity Men’s Shelter, and food donations from City Harvest and the Food Bank for New York City assist YCP in providing more than one million meals annually. As a member of the East Harlem Human Services Consortium, YCP shares resources and makes referrals with 32 agencies in the neighborhood. By participating in the Exodus Partnership, a collaborative effort led by the Edwin Gould Academy, YCP assists in providing wrap-around services to tenants of their new supportive residence for youth aging out of foster care. The New York City Coalition Against Hunger keeps YCP connected to other agencies in the anti-hunger community and educated on current hunger policy and related advocacy activities. Through these collaborations, YCP is able to organize clients and supporters to fight for issues like increased access to food stamps. Most importantly, working collaboratively with other agencies is critical for New York City’s fight to end hunger.
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WHY NEW YORK CITY NEEDS YCP
Today, at least two million New York City residents are currently hungry or at risk of going hungry. These are New Yorkers who have to decide between paying the rent and putting food on their table, between accessing medical care and buying groceries, between eating healthy well-balanced meals or skipping meals in order to make their food last over a longer period of time.
Who is hungry? Hunger does not discriminate and is a problem throughout all five boroughs. Of the 1.2 million New Yorkers who seek help from pantries and soup kitchens each year:
• 54% are women, nearly half of whom are single mothers with children;
• 29% are children;
• 31% are unemployed;
• 25% are disabled and unable to work;
• 19% are working poor
• 18% are legal immigrants and refugees
• 12% are elderly (65 years and older);
• 11% are homeless.
• 53% are Black/African American, 34% Latino/Hispanic, 9% Caucasian; 2% Asian; and 3% multiracial.
Many of the factors that contribute to hunger nationwide are particularly acute in New York City:
1. Poverty:
• The poverty rate in New York City is 21 percent, nearly twice the total U.S. rate.
2. Unemployment:
• More than half of New Yorkers seeking food relief have been unemployed for more than two years compared to the nationwide total of 41 percent.
• An estimated 100,000 people in New York City are still unemployed as a result of 9/11, many of them low-income workers.
3. Low Wages and Rising Expenses:
• The number of low-wage workers earning less than $7.00 an hour has tripled in the past two decades, which has contributed to a surge in the ranks of working families who are poor. Further, immigrants in New York City, especially the Latino/Hispanic population, are nearly twice as likely to earn minimum wages as the native-born workers.
• Over the past fifteen years, New York City has experienced a sharp increase in housing expenses with a simultaneous decline in affordable housing. In 2005, more than 400,000 New Yorkers seeking food assistance reported having to choose between paying for food and rent/utilities.
4. Lack of Access to Public Assistance:
• New York City has cut welfare from 1.2 million to below 500,000. At least half of former welfare recipients are unable to buy food for themselves or their children.
• Most families accessing pantries and soup kitchens barely enroll in government food assistance programs with less than half accessing the Food Stamps Program. Among those households with preschool children, less than one-half participate in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women and Children (WIC).
• The impact of the loss of food stamps on the immigrant community (a category of people initially automatically cut off food stamps by Personal Responsibility Act in 1996) has been severe. While many immigrants, including children, the elderly and disabled individuals, found that their benefits were restored by a subsequent federal act in 1998, the Community Food Resource Center in New York City estimates that at least 53,500 New York legal immigrants remain ineligible for food stamps.
Faced with the ever-increasing need for food assistance in New York City, YCP has actively joined the fight for advocacy and policy changes by partnering with organizations such as New York City Coalition Against Hunger and Partnership for the Homeless. And there are reasons for hope: this past year saw a significant increase in Food Stamp enrollment, largely due to food assistance programs like YCP that also incorporate case management services. New studies show that with better attention to nutrition and well-balanced meals, emergency food programs are making inroads in the fight against obesity and other health problems in impoverished communities where food insecurity and low-cost junk food exacerbate the problems. Finally, while the wheels of change have moved slowly and many emergency food providers have been forced to cut back their distribution and programs, YCP has been able to expand and improve services to better meet the needs of the hungry and disenfranchised of our city.
HOW YCP MEETS THE NEED
Each year, 30,000 New Yorkers, who are homeless, at risk of becoming homeless or struggling to make ends meet, receive one million meals through the YCP’s programs. In addition to food, YCP provides an array of support services from providing Metrocards to making referrals to housing. Unique to YCP is its policy to never turn away anyone who asks for assistance. A person who comes through our doors will not leave empty-handed—receiving either a warm meal, emergency groceries, a haircut, or a referral to other food pantries closer to their home. YCP is able to provide these programs through a diverse, dynamic network of staff, public and private schools, religious organizations, individual volunteers and donors, foundations, businesses and professional partners. According to interviews of YCP clients conducted by Deborah Goldstein of the Hunter College School of Social Work for her study The Faces Behind the Statistics, YCP provides more than just food, but also serves as “a gateway for additional assistance. Positive experiences with the case managers result in the security of knowing they have somewhere to go where someone will listen and support them. Indirectly, the pantry also serves as a place to foster community through interaction on the pantry line… Though YCP is not a community center, it provides an environment that addresses the social need for human interaction.”
Who YCP Serves
The men, women and children who come to YCP reflect the citywide profile of those New Yorkers who are hungry or at risk. Particular to our East Harlem neighborhood is that it is one of the poorest communities in the city and one of the highest unemployment rates of all five boroughs . Our neighborhood is also one of the city’s most diverse with one of the largest communities of Latino/Hispanic families. The following is the demographic breakdown of YCP clients:
Age
• 37% children under 18 years old
• 59% adults between 19 and 64 years old
• 4 % 65 and older
Characteristics
• 13% employed
• 87% unemployed
• 35% persons with disabilities
• 33% homeless
• 65% immigrant/refugee
• 15% HIV/AIDs
• 25% substance abusers
Race/Ethnicity
• 50% Latino/Hispanic
• 40% African American
• 4% African/Caribbean
• 3.5% Caucasian/White
• 1% Asian/Pacific Islanders
• .5% Multi-Racial
YCP Programs
Pantry Program
YCP's Pantry Program is New York City's largest community-based food pantry and is designed to meet the needs of our families by providing culturally appropriate and nutritiously balanced food. Every Thursday and Saturday, YCP distributes grocery packages to over 700 families. Our unique Saturday program is able to serve the working poor and those participating in education or training programs. Volunteers prepare nutritionally balanced bags of groceries that provide each family member three meals a day for three days. A typical Pantry bag includes non-perishable items such as juice, cereal, milk, pasta and/or rice, beans, canned vegetables and fruits, miscellaneous items such as soup, snacks, and condiments, as well as perishable items such as meat/poultry, fresh fruits and vegetables, frozen vegetables and bread.
Two Pantry case managers work with Pantry families to help them obtain needed services and entitlements. They also provide supportive counseling to assist clients in managing change and moving in a positive direction. YCP also encourages self-sufficiency by offering educational workshops on topics ranging from Medicaid to Food Stamps and inviting other organizations to “table at’ the pantry days, consulting with our clients on topics such as healthcare and tax assistance.
In 2005, YCP fully realized efforts to automate the Thursday/Saturday Pantry data collection process. For years YCP maintained family information on index cards that we sifted through each week to determine a household’s size and then date stamp the back of the card to count the number of times a family would come for services. After a few years of trial and error we were able to link bar coding software to our case management software, FACTORS. Now we issue families a bar coded Pantry Membership Card. This card maintains all relevant data, so when families come on their assigned pantry day, they swipe their card and receive the appropriate family size grocery package. 2005 marked a complete full year of use of the bar code membership card, resulting in a greatly reduced amount of time spent waiting, down from 2.5 hours to 1.5 hours per distribution. Now we are able to accurately track unduplicated data on the number of clients receiving food, household composition, the total number of times each family receives food each month and the total amount of meals they receive.
The system has had a number of unanticipated benefits as well. Many clients have reported that having a “Pantry Membership Card” gives them a greater sense of security and belonging; the card forges a bond between them and the Pantry. YCP is also able to record how many children there are in each family and what his or her ages are. This information helps us to distribute toys at Christmas or to identify families that may need extra food. We can also track when a client has not come to pick up their food and if they are considered high risk—elderly or disabled—we can follow up with them by phone or in person to ensure they are not in any danger. Further, a family who repeatedly shows up for unscheduled visits may be indicating that they need more food and the packages can be adjusted accordingly.
Project Dignity
Project Dignity is designed to meet the needs of homeless and hungry individuals in our community and consists of a range of services. The 12-bed emergency shelter is open seven nights a week every day of the year for homeless men. As part of the Emergency Shelter Network coordinated by the Partnership for the Homeless, YCP's Dignity Shelter provides on-site case management and works with shelter residents to place them in longer-term housing. While many city shelters are considered “warehouses” for the homeless, Dignity Shelter’s size allows YCP to get to know each client, allowing the case manager to better understand the individual issues the client needs to surmount in order to move on to housing and self-sufficiency.
The Dignity Meal Program serves breakfast Monday through Friday for 150 individuals (sometimes up to 170 on pancake day!) and dinner on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for approximately 130 people. Our staff chefs prepare the meals with nutritious, wholesome ingredients with a balance of protein, fruit, grains and vegetables. The volunteers who serve the meals are some of our most dedicated and they often help to gauge inventory and request needed supplies. Several of the community members who attend the meals also end up volunteering, assisting in meal service and packaging “to go” meals for housebound participants or those who need to work. Beyond providing nutritious food, the Dignity Meal Program offers participants a chance to sit, eat and socialize in a relaxing, safe and convivial atmosphere that may be their only reprieve from the stress of being homeless or struggling.
Project Dignity’s array of services is designed to meet the most basic needs of YCP’s clients—food, shelter, hygiene services—and the larger, more challenging issues they face—long-term housing, health care, benefits and employment. The over all goal of the program is to serve as a bridge back to health, well-being and self-sufficiency for our homeless and hungry clients.
24/7 YCP
In February 2003, 24/7 YCP, New York City's only 24-hour emergency food program, opened its doors and has never closed them since—not even during holidays, blizzards or even the citywide blackout in 2003. People visiting 24/7 YCP are eligible to receive a non-perishable emergency grocery package that provide nine nonperishable meals per household member, and they can also receive a brown bag meal to consume immediately if needed. 24/7 YCP is our front line for fighting hunger anytime, day or night.
Three 24/7 YCP staff members work eight hour shifts daily, assisted by per-diem staff and volunteers assemble the grocery packages and brown bag meals. Families and individuals access 24|7 YCP for emergency food assistance when other pantries are unable to provide assistance or are closed. They are either referred by one of the 400+ agencies citywide that use 24|7 YCP as a resource, or they come by our most powerful outreach tool: word-of-mouth. If the referred family/individual resides in YCP’s Upper Manhattan/East Harlem service area, staff will register them for either our Thursday or Saturday Pantry program, and they will be able to receive ongoing supplemental food assistance on a weekly basis.
24/7 YCP began targeting its outreach efforts to the seven community boards in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and the Bronx. In the first four months of these efforts, 24/7 YCP provided 4,200 nutritious meals to 600 families from these areas, a staggering 100 percent increase. 24/7 YCP is also providing technical assistance and resources to food programs in these areas to help build the communities’ infrastructure to combat hunger.
This year 24/7 YCP staff is also conducting outreach to the 80 community-based Tier 2 shelters through mailings and follow-up phone calls. In addition staff will make site visits to facilitate with the referral process. Staff is also conducting identical outreach to the 38 confidential domestic violence shelters in the city, however, due to the sensitive circumstances surrounding these family placements, 24|7 YCP is collaborating with each shelter to ensure that outreach and services are provided according to each facility’s policies and protocols.
While the numbers served in our Pantry and Meal programs have been relatively consistent, 24|7 YCP experienced a 25 percent overall increase in food distribution last year. This increase affrms 24/7 YCP’s decision to expand services to the families in need highlighted by the Food Bank’s study. By extending beyond the East Harlem, Harlem and Upper East Side neighborhoods and serving as a resource to families and other organizations in all five boroughs, YCP hopes to become an even more effective proponent in the fight against hunger throughout New York City.
YCP Program Accomplishments in 2005
• YCP provided services to 29,288 people and a total of 1,212,019 meals, specifically:
– 8,818 people in our Pantry program for a total of 1,011,120 meals;
– 14,916 people in our 24|7 YCP program for a total of 134,244 meals; and
– 2,433 people in our breakfast and dinner program for a total of 66,655.
• The three full-time case managers made a total of 1,772 documented referrals for services other than food. These included referrals for:
– Housing/rent assistance (102);
– Mail distribution (283);
– Mental health counseling (566);
– Substance abuse counseling (36);
– Identification or documentation assistance (657);
– Vocational/educational programs (52);
– Food Stamps, Public Assistance, Unemployment entitlements (39);
– Clothing (32); and
– Legal assistance (5).
• The outcomes of the 1,772 referrals included:
– 657 clients receiving the necessary documentation and identification in order to apply for public benefits such as Food Stamps, Public Assistance and SSI;
– 9 clients successfully applied for Public Assistance;
– 6 clients applied for Social Security Supplemental Income (SSI);
– 7 client received Food Stamps; and
– 30 clients successfully completed a detoxification and drug rehabilitation program.
• Additionally, 189 clients were able to use YCP as a mailing address in order to receive mail, SSI/SSD checks and apply for Public Assistance. 566 clients were able to receive psychiatric services, family counseling and counseling for Domestic Violence.
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Make a tax-deductible donation to the Yorkville Food Pantry by clicking here
Yorkville Common Pantry
8 East 109 Street
New York NY 10029
tel: (212) 410-2264
fax: (212) 410-3923
email: 247@ycp.org
web: http://ycp.org/
