A turkey for the holiday. Photo: Andressa Tude
The team at Inwood. Photo: Andressa Tude
Hundreds of families lined up on Saturday, November 19 on a busy corner in the Inwood section of Manhattan to get their Thanksgiving turkeys. While the turkey giveaway was a special holiday occasion, the Inwood Food Pantry and the Highbridge Food Pantry provide food and home goods for hundreds of families twice every week.
“We started giving out food in the street to maybe a 100 or so families a week, now we are up to over 400 families. It has made an impact in the community,” said Ismael Trinidad, who manages the Inwood food pantry. “We have people coming from the Bronx, Queens and beyond. We are a support system for these families, so we take it very seriously. Without the support from these local community leaders we wouldn’t be able to continue to serve this many families.”
The pantries are supported by members of the Community Housing Improvement Program (CHIP), who represent local property owners and managers. They provide affordable and quality housing in the area and strive to support the communities through funding local food banks.
During the pandemic, with rising costs for basic necessities, the group has continued to support the twice weekly food pantries in Inwood and Highbridge. With additional assistance and resources from City Harvest, and transportation service provided by a member of CHIP, Trinidad and volunteers recruited by the Worldwide Missionary Movement Church are able to provide canned soup, produce, poultry and other basic home goods twice per week in both locations.
The group of 17 property managers providing funding and assistance for the pantries is looking for additional supporters and volunteers to help. Call Ismael 646-545-7696 for the Inwood Pantry or 347-490-1704 for the Highbridge Pantry for more information.