Last weekend, I volunteered at a food pantry in Queens, participating in a wide range of activities that commenced with stamping boxes and culminated in packaging FreshDirect bags of pastas, beans, oats, and a wide assortment of fruits and vegetables all to be delivered and picked up by families and individuals who experience hunger. The leader of the initiative I volunteered with, which was called the Connected Chef, described to us the ubiquity of food poverty in various parts of New York City and how this issue skyrocketed with the COVID-19 pandemic. By working to package these meals, we were able to serve over one hundred families on just that Friday afternoon. For many who are lucky enough to always have food on their plates, it is difficult to fathom a world in which our next meal is never guaranteed, but seeing how many grateful families and individuals showed up moved me and solidified my commitment to engaging in multiple hours of food packaging and delivery community service. The leader also mentioned that, beyond the pickup option for their packaged groceries, they also offered a delivery service to those who were not able to acquire their groceries in person. I appreciated this action, as I knew it was most likely implemented for the benefit of senior citizens, many of whom find it difficult to travel, much less carry heavy loads of produce while they’re at it.
While pondering this discrepancy and the way the Connected Chef handled it, I debated policy options to address the needs of seniors, particularly those who live alone cannot travel or carry their own groceries without posing a danger to their health. I decided that the best course of action would be for state governments to portion parts of their funds to non-profit organizations like the Connected Chef and the New York Common Pantry, specifically for the purpose of providing delivery services for senior citizens. This way, senior citizens would not have to struggle to get food on their tables and healthy groceries.
Brains for Change 