One Brooklyn
June 12, 2020
Photo Credit: Rachel Atcheson/Brooklyn BP’s Office
Brooklyn, NY – Today, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams joined local non-profits Brighter Bites and United for Brownsville to distribute fresh produce and personal protective equipment (PPE) to local Brooklyn residents.
“COVID-19 has informed the reality that there are no truly safe places left on the earth,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams. “So, what can we do? We must look around and see each other. Those with food and necessities must share with those less fortunate. The support from our local community organizers and non-profits such as Brighter Bites make the tsunamis of life easier to endure. We are grateful for organizations like Brighter Bites, City Harvest, Food Bank for NYC, and all the local hands who have risen to the current crisis to serve their communities. We are thankful for those who have said: ‘Yes, I will serve my country in this crisis.’ We at Brooklyn Borough Hall stand with those who are helpers of the helpless, and we applaud Brighter Bites for their hard work, service, and generosity.”
“Brighter Bites is proud to partner with United for Brownsville and Riverdale Avenue Community School to distribute nearly 18,000 pounds of free, fresh produce from City Harvest and essential items, including PPE and diapers, on a weekly basis. It’s been truly exciting to see this project grow each week, from first serving only school families, to welcoming the larger Brownsville community, to securing additional items to distribute based on community feedback. At its heart, this is a community-driven and community-run program, and it is an honor to work alongside the incredible parents and local families who work tirelessly to serve hundreds of residents each week,” said Brighter Bites Northeast Regional Program Director Melanie Button, MPH.
“United for Brownsville (UB) is a collaborative of families and social service providers who act as an incubator for strategies to improve the early childhood system in Brownsville, Brooklyn. UB is a joint project of SCO Family of Services and Community Solutions, and our decision-making is led by 20 mothers, fathers, and grandparents from the neighborhood. Our typical projects take a racial equity approach to creating innovative strategies that improve developmental outcomes and for 0-3 year-olds, such as transforming supermarkets into learning environments, promoting literacy strategies that local families already engage in with their children, and educationally-supportive Saturday groups for parents and their children. During the coronavirus pandemic, we have worked with our service providers to identify and communicate pathways to help residents get their basic needs met, created a video contest to highlight how families in Central Brooklyn are keeping themselves safe, and partnered with Riverdale Avenue Community School and Brighter Bites to distribute produce and hard-to-find essential items like face masks, soap, and diapers when available,” said United for Brownsville Co-Director David Harrington.
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