Filling Plates & Hearts with Ms. Peggy Allen

Antioch Outreach is a Food Bank member agency that has been serving the Harlem community since 2008. The program was started by Ms. Peggy Allen, a Louisiana native who’s been living in New York City for the better part of her life. It had been a dream of hers to start a pantry once she retired, an idea sparked by watching her single mother feed and take care of herself and her ten siblings. As Ms. Peggy is fond of saying, “You have to eat to stay alive!”   We got the chance to catch up with Ms. Peggy earlier this month to learn all about how she fills plates and hearts for her community. Read the interview below.   Ms. Peggy with members of the community.   How did your agency get started?   I retired in 2008 and decided to look into what it would require to open up a food pantry for my community. It had always been my desire to do something like that, but I couldn’t get involved until I finished my job. I have been a member of this church [Antioch Church of God in Christ] since 1961, so I have had a connection to this building and ministry for decades; now, I get to give back through a pantry of my own.   To learn the ropes, I served as a volunteer at a food pantry down the road. I visited one day and stayed for two years. The team lead would tell me, “Oh, do this, don’t do that... “ she really taught me everything I know about running a pantry.   What inspired you to start serving your community?   I was born in Mississippi and raised in New Orleans by a single mother. There were 11 of us, so times were definitely hard. I can’t say that we went to bed hungry, but I also can’t say that we had bacon and eggs every day. What I can say is that my mother kept us together when she could have separated us. Whatever I am, you see her now.   What I learned from my mother is that you are never so poor that you can’t help somebody else, even if it’s someone in your own family. That purpose was put in me early, so I have always had a desire to have this kind of ministry. I don’t have to be behind the pulpit, but I know I have to help others. It was put in my spirit – this is the way for me to go.   The highlight of our week growing up was when my mom would go to the bakery and get bread and honey buns for the family. We were always so excited to get this small treat. That’s how I serve people, why I want to serve people. I want to give them a highlight of their own.   The line outside of Antioch Outreach on their weekly pantry service day, where they’ll serve upwards of 300 New Yorkers.   How has your pantry grown since you first started?   When I first started, my goal was to feed 50 people a week. At the beginning, we were only able to serve onions and potatoes. I thought, “If I can just reach 50 people, I’ll be happy.” We quickly blew past that goal and, before COVID, we were serving nearly 500 people a week. Since we reopened last February, I’d say we’re serving an average of 300 people a week.   Since reopening, our demographic has changed. We’ve seen an influx of immigrant communities visiting our pantry, which was challenging at first in terms of communication. But we’ve started to bring in translators to help us communicate better with all the different types of New Yorkers on our line.   What are some of your community needs?  It’s a very low-income community. They need basics – clothing, food. I’m known as “begging Peggy” because I’m always working to see how I can get my neighbors what they need. And what they need is everything.   I remember once when a volunteer of ours saw a man on the subway with a walker that had three wheels when it should have had four. She told this man to follow her to the church and we would get him a walker. When that man eventually left, it was worth whatever we went through – all of the sacrifices – to get that walker for him. I encourage people to ask me for what they need. If I don’t have it, I’ll try to get it.   I just try to show an interest in every person that comes through our door. A person can come to us for food and I can see that they need new shoes, even if they won’t admit it. So, instead of asking them if they want shoes, I simply ask, “What size shoe do you wear?” Nobody wants to be looked down upon, so I ask about the size, and the next time they come in, I’ll have the shoes ready for them.   If you can show people you care like that – if the spirit of your giving comes from a place of genuine interest in their well-being – you've got them, you’ve captivated them. You build trust by the way you treat people, by the kindness you show. Very few people can reject kindness.   A guy came in once who was just out of jail. He was acting ashamed, so I said, “But you’re out! Now, tell me, what do you need?” If you are in this business, be in it. For me, it’s all about helping someone feel better about themselves.   At Food Bank, we are proud to provide food and other resources to organizations like Antioch Outreach that are doing the work to feed our neighbors every day. To learn more about how YOU can help bring a plate to the table for New Yorkers like Ms. Peggy and her team, click here.   Together, we can make sure that all of our neighbors have what they need to celebrate the holidays with the dignity they deserve.  

This year, Food Bank’s holiday campaign is “Bring a Plate to the Table.” For us, this phrase encapsulates everything we're about – making sure our neighbors have what they need to fill their tables with fresh, nutritious food for themselves and their families. While this is our mission all year long, it takes on new relevance during the holiday season, when an empty plate or missed meal can feel that much more isolating for those already struggling to make ends meet.   Think of the holiday dishes you love, the ones you make every year, the ones passed down over generations that become symbols of who you are and where you come from. Think of the memories connected to those dishes, how a single bite of pecan pie can bring you back to the first time you watched your grandmother make it in the family kitchen. How even in the years after she’s gone – when you are the one making the pie – that bite will remind you of how fiercely you were loved.   There is no price for a feeling like that and it is one that everyone deserves. Our tables aren’t just places where we eat meals; they are where we make our memories, where we come to laugh and cry and make sense of the world around us. The power of that is easy to take for granted when you’ve never gone without it, but one that is impossible not to miss when it vanishes in the blink of an eye. “Bring a Plate to the Table,” then, is a call to you to help us restore that power for the estimated 1.6 million New Yorkers fighting to feed themselves and their families. It is a call to join us in nourishing that great communal table at which we all sit. As our President & CEO Leslie Gordon is fond of saying, “Rising tides float all boats.” The livelihood of one of us depends on all of us, and it is vital that we never lose sight of that.   So, how can you bring a plate to the table for our neighbors this holiday season? You can donate to our 40 Million Meals campaign, which seeks to provide 40 million meals to New Yorkers in need by year’s end. You can sign up for a volunteer shift in our Community Kitchen & Food Pantry, where you’ll help stock pantry shelves and pack meal bags for our neighbors in Harlem. You can also use your voice to urge lawmakers to advocate for policies that fight hunger across our city and state.   Simply put, there are several ways to give back – all you have to do is choose the one that’s right for you. We thank you in advance for powering our mission to feed and nourish ALL New Yorkers. We couldn’t do what we do without you.  

"Portraits of Promise" is a new initiative at Food Bank For New York City, and one powered by a simple premise: On special occasions throughout the year, Food Bank will provide professional portraits to our neighbors as a keepsake they can cherish for years and generations to come. Professional photography can be prohibitively expensive for many of the New Yorkers we serve, so this is a way for us to "go beyond food" in our service to the city we all call home. To learn more about the program, I sat down with Dr. Camesha Grant, Food Bank's Vice President of Community Impact & Investment, who came up with the idea for "Portraits of Promise" when ordering school portraits for her 11-year-old daughter.  "It was the beginning of the school year and my daughter was taking photos," she explained. "I was completing the package to order the pictures and I saw that several of the different photo packages and products were well over $100. Suddenly it hit me — how do people who are food insecure get professional photos of themselves and their families? Between food and photos, many people  will choose food, so they're not able to preserve these amazing memories of their loved ones. I immediately thought, we have to do something about this."  Read the full interview with Dr. Grant below!  Martha Mae, a regular of Food Bank's Senior Program who visited our Valentine's Day shoot.  What is the power of a portrait? It's the power to preserve precious moments, to have a keepsake you can pass down to your children and your children's children. The cost of living in New York City forces many of the families we serve to move across the five boroughs to different homes, so having a steady family portrait to hang on any wall in any home is priceless. It's a constant reminder of who our neighbors are and where they come from, something that immediately represents home and love. It's a simple thing to carry with you across the journey of life.  What would you say to someone if they ask why a hunger-relief organization like ours is providing this service?  Everyone deserves the opportunity to preserve memories — everyone, regardless of their housing or financial status. They should have the opportunity to capture moments of love and fun through photography, to have those images to look back on when times get tough. At Food Bank, we endeavor to serve the whole individual, to nourish their bodies, their minds, and their spirits.   With more and more New Yorkers being forced to the  pantry line each day, we don’t always get the opportunity to know every person who visits our Community Kitchen, to hear their stories. But when people come in and get behind the camera for a “Portraits of Promise” session, we get to see our neighbors come to life. We get to know them, get to see them, get to reaffirm that we are here for them.  These are everyday New Yorkers. In so many ways, this initiative is about breaking down the stigmas of who we serve. They’re people just like you and me with personalities, emotions, stories, and journeys to share. Gregory wearing his signature bow tie and suit at our Valentine's Day shoot.  Are there any stories or moments from this project that stick out to you?  There was one woman named Harlem at our Valentine’s Day shoot. She was standing on line waiting for supper when I approached her and asked if she'd like to take a photograph. She was so excited to join us! She came inside and suddenly transformed, taking the opportunity to look good and feel good. She got behind the camera and presented like a model, so gracious and fun to work with.   And of course,  Gregory, one of our regular senior visitors to the Community Kitchen & Food Pantry. Gregory has always been very dapper, loves coming in with a  bowtie and suit. To learn that this was the first photograph he'd had taken of himself since 1972 was such a surprise and one that reminded me of how important this program is.  How do you see this initiative growing? I think there are a ton of different ways "Portraits of Promise" could grow! This past August, we partnered with an organization that teaches children living in shelters how to swim. We provided packed lunches for the kids and also took portraits of them learning how to swim for their families. It was a way for us to take this program out of the studio and into the streets, allowing us to capture those precious milestone moments for the New Yorkers we proudly serve.  To learn more about "Portraits of Promise," click this link, where you'll find stories from New Yorkers we've profiled and updates about when the next shoot will be happening! 

Over the past few months, thousands of migrants have been bussed to New York City from the states of Texas and Arizona. Our friends at United Way of New York City estimate that nearly 19,000 migrants have arrived, 75 percent of whom have entered the city’s shelter system. These numbers are only expected to grow over the coming months, posing our city with the ultimate question: How do we rise up to serve and protect our new neighbors?   For community members like Teresa Concepcion (founder of “The Red Door Place,” a Food Bank member pantry in Manhattan), the answer to that question has been developing itself in real time.   “A month ago, I was put in contact with a shelter in Brooklyn that was drowning,” she recently told us. “They had begun to house 200 new arrivals, including 12 large families, many of whom had family members that were ill and needed assistance, including a set of twins on dialysis and chemo. In a matter of moments, we struck up an agreement and I began sending them what non-perishable food items and resources I had.”             View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by The Red Door Place (@thereddoorplace) Teresa (above) was quick to point out that this is a Women and Children’s shelter, which means that fathers are not permitted to stay with their families. When asked where they would have to go instead, she explained that many would turn to the streets, in yet another form of separation for those that have already been through so much.   How does she know this? Because word has spread fast that The Red Door Place is a safe space to receive food and these fathers have been visiting her weekly food distributions.   “They are always very cautious when they first approach us,” she says. “They usually come in small groups and ask what kind of paperwork they need to visit the pantry. It takes a while to explain that they don’t need paperwork, that they can get the food they need for free without worry.”   While Teresa is determined to continue supporting her newest clients, she admits that the strain on her resources is overwhelming. “Even before these new folks started visiting the pantry, our regular visitors had gone up from 400 to 650 a week. When you add in the migrant visitors, the numbers have nearly doubled in the span of a month and a half.”   To fill in the gaps, she has leaned on a network of supporters and nurses in the neighborhood to provide her with the extra diapers, menstrual products, birth control, toiletries, and personal hygiene essentials these families need. But even with all this extra support, she knows it’s only a band-aid solution.   “Now my mind goes to winter,” she explains. “How are we going to keep all of these people warm? I usually manage to give my regular clients a coat and gloves each year, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to do that for the growing number of migrants my program is supporting. I don’t want to turn anyone away, but don’t know what to do.”   When asked about the new arrivals visiting her pantry, Teresa says they are just “shell-shocked.”   “They are going day to day, that is the only way to describe how they’re making it through right now. They’re literally just thinking of the moment. They’re not even angry yet – they're scared and lost.”   To make her point, Teresa shared an anecdote about a young migrant woman staying at the shelter. She had not been feeling well, but had been hesitant to talk to the shelter director. Eventually, it turned out that she was pregnant and worried that admitting that might cause her to lose her housing. As Teresa commented: “How bad does it have to be – how scared do you have to be – not to admit something like that?”             View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by The Red Door Place (@thereddoorplace) Mayor Eric Adams himself announced earlier this month that we are in a state of emergency and must move quickly to support new arrivals to our city. It is vital that they are housed, that they are fed, that they are made to feel safe and welcome in their new home.   We at Food Bank are proud to provide food and other resources to community members like Teresa who are on the ground fighting to do just that. Times of crisis test us all, and it’s everyday folks like Teresa and her team at The Red Door Place that remind us of how powerful we can be when we rise up together.   For more on how YOU can uplift our city’s newest neighbors, click this link. Your generosity will help us provide crucial food items to the New Yorkers that need it most.

Hispanic Heritage Month provides us with an opportunity to celebrate the leaders who fight for the dignity, empowerment, and survival of our Latinx neighbors, both here in New York City and across the nation.   While this list is by no means exhaustive, it does feature several individuals (both past and present) who have helped to combat food insecurity in Latinx communities and uplift the workers who have long provided food for all of us.   Take a peek at the full list below!   Mateo Guerrero-Tabares  Mateo, standing outside Make the Road New York in Queens. Source: Feeding America.   Mateo Guerrero-Tabares is the Trans Justice and Leadership Program Manager at Make the Road New York, a Food Bank member agency that serves immigrant, working-class, and transgender communities throughout Brooklyn and Queens. Mateo found his way to Make the Road in 2010 after arriving in New York City as an undocumented minor. He began his journey as both a client and volunteer, receiving aid from the organization to adjust his immigration status and stay permanently in the United States. He now brings that same level of solidarity and support to the immigrant and transgender New Yorkers he proudly serves. Read our recent interview with Mateo!  Dolores Huerta Dolores Huerta speaking at a campaign rally for President Bill Clinton. Source: Wikimedia. A famed organizer and activist, Dolores Huerta has long been a champion for the working poor, women, and children. Though she rose to prominence when establishing the National Farm Workers Association with Cesar Chavez, she forged a unique path all her own that focused on helping migrant populations secure the resources they needed to thrive. Still a major labor leader to this day, Huerta travels the country as a speaker and campaigner, drawing on her decades of experience in the public sphere to fight against injustice.   José Andrés            View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by José Andrés (@chefjoseandres)   José Andrés is a Spanish chef and founder of World Central Kitchen, an organization that provides emergency food relief to communities around the globe. Most recently, Andrés made headlines for taking to the ground to serve refugees escaping conflict from Ukraine. Andrés also provided meals and other resources to us here at Food Bank For New York City at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to help us feed and nourish our neighbors across the five boroughs.  Emma Tenayuca Source: Wikipedia.  Born in San Antonio, TX in 1916, Emma Tenayuca was a Mexican American writer, speaker, educator, and organizer who fought for workers’ rights. Though she accomplished many things in her lifetime, she is perhaps best known for helping to orchestrate and lead a massive strike of over 12,000 pecan shell workers in her native San Antonio at the age of just 21. The strike forced owners to increase wages for the pecan shell workers, many of whom were immigrant women. The victory marked a significant step forward for the Mexican American struggle for justice and equality in the United States.  Cesar Chavez  Cesar Chavez addressing a crowd. Source: Wikimedia.   Cesar Chavez was instrumental in securing union rights for migrant farm workers in the 1960s. As a farmer himself, Chavez decided to partner with Dolores Huerta to create the National Farm Workers Association (later known as the United Farm Workers of America) to advocate for the improvement of wages and conditions for those working the land. Chavez utilized a range of non-violent tactics – from marching to fasting, organizing, and collective bargaining – to draw attention to the struggles of migrant farm workers and solidify protections that continue to uplift and support laborers to this day.   Pedro Rodriguez  As the economic fallout from COVID-19 drove more and more New Yorkers to the pantry line, Pedro Rodriguez took it upon himself to establish La Jornada, a food pantry formerly located in Queens. Serving thousands of individuals and families a week, the pantry became a lifeline for immigrant communities in need of reliable and consistent access to produce and shelf-stable goods. La Jornada eventually joined the Food Bank member network, receiving grants from us to optimize their operations.   Jessica Govea Thorbourne Source: Cornell University.   Jessica Govea Thorbourne was a labor organizer and educator who worked closely with Cesar Chavez at the United Farm Workers Union. She was one of the first activists to publicly call attention to the dangers of pesticides to both workers and food, helping to limit exposure and establish better safety practices in the field. Later in her life, Thorbourne served as a professor at Cornell and Rutgers, where she taught courses on labor organizing.  For more on how we serve our Latinx neighbors now and throughout the year, click here.