Bed-Stuy Food Pantry's Emergency Warehouse Extended For 3 Months

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — A temporary warehouse set up to help a Bed-Stuy food pantry's overwhelming demand during the coronavirus crisis will extend into the fall as the need for meals continues to spike, officials announced last week.

The Campaign Against Hunger — which first set up a three-month lease for the warehouse in May — will keep using the space until November as a distribution hub for the thousands of families it serves each week.

The extension, as with the first lease, was donated by Broadway Stages, which owns the Canarsie warehouse. It has helped the organization, initially strained in the outbreak's early days, deal with a nearly seven-fold increase in demand.

"With the space that we've donated, the Campaign Against Hunger has been able to provide over 3 million meals to those in need across NYC," Broadway Stages President Gina Argento said. "We are proud of the work we have been able to do with the organization and look forward to continuing this partnership over the next several months."

But while the extension will hold the Campaign Against Hunger over until November, the organization is still searching for a permanent space, founder Melony Samuels said.

The pantry hopes to work with the city to find a warehouse space to use when the lease expires.

"Without a new space, many families will go hungry," Samuels said.

The Campaign Against Hunger — has already received attention from Mayor Bill de Blasio and other politicians — serves around 14,000 families each week who hail from more than 100 ZIP codes across the city, Samuels said.

In May, Samuels told Patch that the demand is unlike anything she's seen in her 20 years of serving the community.

"We hope to be able to continue serving these communities and families as long as there is a need," she said Tuesday.

Patch has partnered with Feeding America to help raise awareness on behalf of the millions of Americans facing hunger. Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks across the country, estimates that in 2020, more than 54 million Americans will not have enough nutritious food to eat due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations. Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you.

Read More:

• Millions Made Hungry By Pandemic Could Include Your Neighbor
• Coronavirus Increases Hunger: Find A Food Bank In Brooklyn