The Roosevelt Island Disabled Association (RIDA) hosts a Free Food Pantry every other Friday at the Roosevelt Island Cultural Center (556 Main Street) from 4-6 PM.
Tomorrow, Friday November 14 from 10:30 AM to 12 PM or until supplies last, RIDA will be having a mini-produce pantry for fresh fruits and vegetables.
The next full RIDA Food Pantry is scheduled for Friday November 21 before Thanksgiving.
I spoke to RIDA President Wendy Hersh at the November 7 Roosevelt Island Food Panty. I asked Ms Hersh to estimate how many people the Roosevelt Island Food Panty serves. According to Ms Hersh:
We were serving 175. It went up to 200. It went up to 225. It’s been a little over 225. Looking at today’s line, I have no idea what it’s going to be today. I think a lot of the Food Pantries are closing off of the island. We give a lot of good food. So, people are coming to our pantry….
… There’s a lot of people new to Roosevelt Island. There’s a lot of people from Long Island City, a lot of people from Astoria coming. We have people from Brooklyn and the Bronx and because we get from a Food bank, we cannot tell someone they can’t come in.
Ms Hersh later reported that 243 people registered for the November 7 Roosevelt Island Food Pantry.
Please use the entrance in the 556 Main Street courtyard behind the Public Safety Office to access the Food Pantry and remember to bring your own bag or shopping cart.
Here’s more on the NYC Food Bank.
