For almost 8,000 individuals in the South Bronx this year, Step Up for Better Living was closer than ever. That’s because of a series of pop-up food and resource distribution events we co-sponsored this year at different locations around our community!

We’re always looking for new ways to best serve folks in need in the South Bronx. This year, in the wake of the pandemic, that meant addressing the urgent need to get food to as many families as possible. So, as part of our Emergency Food Fund campaign, we began co-sponsoring distributions.

In June, we worked with our friends at Wavecrest Management and Food Bank for New York City to distribute food to residents of seven buildings in the Port Morris, Longwood, and West Farms communities. Between two pop-ups that month, we were able to distribute food to 1,400 families.

The following month, we teamed up with Wavecrest, Food Bank for NYC, and Atlantic Development Group to serve over 5,000 residents of the Boricua Village housing development! A dedicated group of staff and volunteers provided food to almost 600 households spread across eight buildings.

Boricua Village is a $300 million housing complex located in the Melrose neighborhood. Almost half the population of the neighborhood lives below the federal poverty line. That means, as in the rest of the Bronx, food insecurity is high in Melrose. High-need communities, like Boricua Village, have experienced severe impacts from the pandemic.

Finally, last month we successfully held a Thanksgiving Gift Card distribution. With thanks to Fresh Food Fair and Western Beef, we were able to distribute gift cards to 1,200 Bronx families.

It was our honor to work with such great organizations as co-sponsors. The team at Food Bank for New York City exhibited overwhelming generosity. The staff from Wavecrest Management helped with everything from organization to moving boxes and distributing food.

And, of course, many thanks are due to the Step Up for Better Living team for their tireless work. They reached out to clients, distributed literature, lifted boxes, and served families.

But none of it would have been possible without support from our donors. To everyone who stepped up for the South Bronx this year: Thank you.