Dearest Friends of Brooklyn Relief Kitchen,
As we near the end of 2020, we’re reflecting on what a difficult year it’s been, and on how lucky we feel to have found a way to make a small difference for the folks who’ve had it really hard. We could not have done it without the hard work and kindness of our volunteers, community partners, and our generous donors who have supplied the funds to keep us feeding thousands each week.
Special thanks goes to our repeat benefactors and their sustaining support as our work continues.
Keep up-to-date with us!
Action Request: Join Our Mailing List
We have set up our very own mailing list for The Brooklyn Relief Kitchen, so that we can keep you apprised of our goings-on. GoFundMe is a wonderful portal to fundraise and appropriately, due to privacy, they do not share your contact information with us, beyond your name.
If you’d like to stay in touch, please follow the link to sign up:
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Increased Needs on the Horizon
As the pandemic worsens and businesses struggle to stay afloat, the number of families in food crisis increases. The massive relief box distribution from Farms to Families is ending this week, and many other suppliers are winding down or losing government funding, which puts a big hurt on all those folks who’ve been depending on it for survival. The pantry & produce boxes we prepare for Workers’ Justice Project and Caribbean Women’s Health Association will become more essential than ever.
Which brings us to the actions of some very generous neighbors jumping in to help:
Local Food Drives
In an effort to increase the number of grocery kits we provide to families, donations of pantry goods are more crucial than ever. Neighborhood organizations, scout & school groups and local families have generously set up food drive events. The response has been fantastic. Very special thank you to the 5th Avenue BID, champions of small businesses.
Local shopkeepers who are helping with donation jars and food collection include Giftman, Good Wine, Acme Dog Run, Tarzian Hardware, Seawitch Tavern, Littleneck Restaurant and Slope Vintage, Cafe Martin, Ample Hills Creamery, and Planted Park Slope.
We thank them and hope you’ll support them!
Neighbors and Community
We give thanks to Old First Reformed Church – the generosity they’ve shown in providing their kitchen, workspace and operational support is literally the home and heart of our operation.
Our Donation Tent in front of the church is a daily reminder of the generosity that exists in our neighborhood. Whether it’s a dollar from a passerby or a car load of groceries someone drops off anonymously, every bit put to good use.
We’re grateful to a lot of wonderful people making a difference……
A collaboration between The Old Stone House, The Pablo Ramirez Foundation, The Skate Garden, and Friends of 51 Skate Park held a food drive and matching donation campaign, raising more than $1000 for the Kitchen.
Our volunteer Annie inspired her employers at AlgiKnit, a company developing eco-conscious algae-derived textiles, to collect a truckload of goods for us from the food drive they held at their offices at the Brooklyn Army Terminal.
A couple of local families of 5th graders from Brooklyn New School organized a drive outside Steve’s C-town and raised a tidy sum and a massive amount of excellent groceries.
Youngsters in the care of welearnwithanna held a Ladybug Food Drive and collected a ton of much-needed canned goods and baby food.
Our young friend Laila sold hot chocolate from a card table on PPW and donated $95 from her (very) independent efforts. PHOTO
Special thanks to Corcoran Realty for their kind donation of lovely new baby & toddler PJ’s and kids’ books, which will be distributed next week to the new mothers at Caribbean Womens’ Health Assoc in East Flatbush.
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