PANDEMIC EASES, HUNGER GROWS
As the worst of the covid-19 pandemic seems to be abating, we are all now facing the terrible aftermaths. Unemployment, lost housing, ongoing illness are prevalent–but maybe the most immediate and terrifying is the increase in hunger. CoFiA has been working with other groups to provide a hot evening meal in the garage of the Palisades Park library to whoever turns up.
For some time there have been about 250 people arriving in the late afternoon. The program, called Our Community Dinner Table, purchases meals from local restaurants–the Guatemalan restaurant Esquina Chapina among others–for $7.50 per person, and distributes the food to whoever comes. One day as many as 300 people came and sadly the program ran out of food.
Obviously this is an expensive operation and faces an uncertain future. As the need becomes ever more apparent, the young Korean brother and sister who are the organizers reached out to increase the number of days of operation from three to four and now five. CoFiA has donated as much as possible, and a Korean organization in California sent a much needed and bountiful donation of $10,000.
We are also hearing accounts of individuals in our network who are needing help. Several Leonia residents donate their Meals-on-Wheels allotments to people who need food. Co-Chair Carolyn Sobering picks up the food, and our staff person Angelica arranges a drop-off. A big help!
Other people are struggling to pay their rent. Angelica is reminding our friends about the governor’s no-eviction order (Law 3859), and she also suggests they contact Make-the-Road New Jersey, a community organization that has on-staff attorneys. Wage theft continues and CoFiA provides counsel and contacts as possible. Angelica also continues to connect workers with people needing help. Most recently she placed two workers in a landscaping job.