Pandemic Pop-up Pantry Feeds 500 Families, Offers Testing

Kamery Melendez was one of many who, after picking up free groceries at a neighborhood pop-up pantry Thursday, went and got tested for Covid-19 for her first time.

A team of 40 including staff and volunteers helped distribute 500 free grocery packages to families at the pop, which was set up at the Bowen Field parking lot across from Hillhouse High School. Additionally, free Covid testing, voter registration, and census information were offered at the site.

Melendez said she has wanted to get tested because she lives with eight other people, four of whom work outside of the house during the week. Four of them are her kids. ​“It feels good to be precautious,” she said.

For the past two months, Melendez couldn’t get a doctor’s note recommending she get tested. She hadn’t heard of any local pop-up sites near her home off Exit 8 of I‑91.

The United Way of Greater New Haven partnered with Amistad Catholic Worker, Food in Service to the Homebound (FISH), Coordinated Food Assistance Network (CFAN), and CT Food Bank again for the collaborative monthly pop-up pantry, distributing food as demands increase during the pandemic. (Read a story on last month’s here).
The organizers partnered with the City of New Haven’s parks department to use the area and to include the additional resources. Sixteen individuals were tested for Covid-19 in the field parking lot.

“It’s necessary to come into these neighborhoods and make it easy to just walk up and get food,” said United Way Vice President for Community Impact Aly Fox. ​“It’s about raising everyone up. From the people to the organizations here to help.”

Addie Kimbrough and Bianca Bowles from the Community Action Agency of New Haven tabled to provide information about completing the 2020 census to families. League of Women Voters of New Haven volunteers Lesley Heffel-McGuirk and Aaron Goode registered individuals to vote. Heffel-McGuirk and Goode also provided information to those interested in learning about having voter rights restored for ex-felons and applying for a permanent absentee ballot.

Mayor Justin Elicker joined the volunteers to load cars. The mayor’s office donated 2,000 masks, which were distributed to families walking and driving to pick up their groceries. In total 2,650 masks were distributed.

Each car’s driver popped open the trunk or back-seat door and made a stop for dairy products like milk. Then each picked up nearly 60 pounds of produce including apples, carrots. Then a final stop for some dry goods like pasta, beans, and canned corn, and pasta sauce. Walkers picked up the same groceries with shopping carts and reusable bags.

Steven McCoy was riding his bike down Munson Street when he saw dozens of cars lined up down Sherman Parkway. ​“God led me this way,” said McCoy, who said he usually doesn’t take the Munson Street route around.

McCoy, who is homeless, said he was hungry and wasn’t sure what he was going to eat today. ​“I wish this would happen all the time,” he said.

New Haven State Rep. Toni Walker stopped at each vehicle and asked if the occupants had registered to vote, completed the census, and gotten tested for Covid-19. ​“It will just take one minute, I promise,” she said to one driver who said she wasn’t registered to vote.

“By getting our people to do the census, we can qualify for the dollars our neighborhoods need to get resources like those here today,” Walker said.

A Newhallville neighbor named Petal loaded her groceries in her bookbag and in reusable bags hung on the handlebars of her ​“super bike.” On a fixed income, Petal said, she usually has to use her social security disability‎ money for necessities like groceries. She has been struggling during the pandemic. Petal said she is most excited about the free produce she received Thursday to later replant in her recently started balcony garden.

Pastor Phillip Boone of the Cathedral of Higher Praise joined the volunteer team around 7 a.m to bag the food and unexpectedly stayed to help until about 4 p.m.

As the group of volunteers neared the homestretch of a final 30 cars, they began doubling their quantities to make use of every food item.

Delivery vans from Vox Church, Vertical Church, Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen, Inc., and Haven’s Harvest also picked up leftover food to redistribute to food pantries.

The collaborating organizations are currently planning next month’s monthly pop-up pantry. The planning process will include looking into city data to learn what areas are in the most need of food.