nothin City Serves Masks Along With Meals At Covid… | New Haven Independent

City Serves Masks Along With Meals At Covid Hotspot

Maya McFadden Photo

Mayor Justin Elicker lends a hand at Wednesday’s pre-holiday distribution.

As the holidays approach, city staff distributed 7,000 masks to Fair Haveners Wednesday to prevent the spread of Covid in one of the city’s hotspots.

Mayor Justin Elicker and Director of Emergency Operations Rick Fontana made stops at New Haven Public Schools grab-and-go meal sites. The city provided the thousands of masks to the busiest of meal sites: Christopher Columbus Family Academy, John S. Martinez School, Fair Haven School, and Clinton Avenue School.

Last month Covid cases began to increase again. Elicker said Latinx pockets of Fair Haven, Fair Haven Heights, and the Hill have been identified as hotspots.

Elicker urged residents to keep their upcoming holiday gatherings small and to wear their masks.

Elicker and Fontana handed out packs of ten masks to residents waiting in line for student meals. Another pack of masks was also put in each meal bag.

Early on in the pandemic, Fair Haven’s numbers peaked mostly due to a large number of cases at the Mary Wade Home, Elicker said. Now the Mary Wade Home’s numbers are steadily low; the spike is occurring elsewhere in the community.


Wearing masks saves lives,” said Fontana.

A mother of two, Rina Sotomayor, 37, picked up lunches Wednesday for her 14 and 17-year-old kids.

After getting her own two bags, Sotomayor waited another 15 minutes to get four more meals for her neighbor, who doesn’t have a car. She walks sometimes but when I’m able to I always offer. I didn’t ask her today but I’m sure she needs them,” she said. Look at these boxes. How can I let her, in her 60s, walk them all the way home?”

The NHPS meal distribution started in March to help families provide their students with meals during remote learning. The grab-and-go initiative continued through the summer and resumed with hot meals at the start of this school year.

Each resident signed in with their names and then told Columbus head chef Alice Vazquez how many meals they needed. From Wednesday’s menu, written on a dry-erase board outside the building, residents chose between two hot meals: pizza or chicken wings.

Arroyo Oscar, a father of four, picked up two chicken wing meals and two pizza meals. If they don’t like it they can switch,” he joked. Oscar picks up meals for his kids once or twice a week, he said. Oscar’s family plans to merge households with his sister’s family of three after Christmas to help them both financially. One night she can cook, then I can. With more grown-ups in one place, we can take care of things better,” Oscar said. Plus we’re hoping the kids will be happier with more family to play with.”

Oscar said his family will be eating Thanksgiving dinner” on Christmas to make up for their Thanksgiving celebration this year being canceled because he had to work.

A grandmother named Gladis said she has picked up meals for her grandkids everyday since the start of the NHPS food distribution program during the pandemic. If it wasn’t for this, my grandkids wouldn’t eat. My daughter lost her job she can’t get food,” she said.

The NHPS food distribution will take a break for the holidays and start back up on Dec. 28, said Vazquez. Therefore, families received multiple meals Wednesday to help them through the holiday break.

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