Poverty, Hunger Exist In Queens 
BY RICHARD GENTILVISO
 

"I don't believe anybody should be going to bed hungry in this city," said Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum.

Two in 10 Queens residents are at risk of hunger and that number may be on the rise, according to the Food Bank of New York City. "There is hunger in your community," said Veronica Olazabal, Director of Policy and Research at the Food Bank.

Founded in 1983, The Food Bank of New York City collects, stores and distributes more than 67 million pounds of food for almost 1,300 nonprofit community programs that provide about 250,000 free meals every day to 1.2 million people annually throughout the five boroughs.

With 200 emergency food programs in Queens, over 19 million meals were served in the borough in 2004, said Olazabal at the May meeting of the Queens Borough Cabinet.

According to "Hunger in America 2006: The New York City and State Report", a report issued jointly by the Food Bank for New York City and City Harvest, another food rescue organization, there has been an increase of 82 percent over the last four years in the number of people seeking assistance from food pantries in New York City.

Lacking funding and sufficient staff, the mostly volunteer run programs can't keep up with the increasing demand for food. The report said 45 percent of emergency food programs in the city were forced to turn people away in the past year and 84 percent of city food pantries cited shortages of food.

Poverty is a common thread among people using emergency food programs with 74 percent of client households living at or below the federal poverty line and half having monthly incomes of $670 or less. Thirty-six percent live on fixed incomes and more than a third of city households using emergency food programs have to choose between paying for their rent or mortgage and food. Queens has the highest percentage of home ownership among emergency food program clients. "Poverty and hunger [have] not been addressed," said Olazabal.

"I don't believe anybody should be going to bed hungry in this city," said New York City Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum.

At the May meeting of Community Board 1, Gotbaum said the federal food stamp program is underutilized. "All who are eligible should get them, but many people who are eligible are not getting them," she said. Gotbaum is attempting to simplify the application process, which is being shortened from 16 pages to four.

In Astoria and Long Island City, within Community Board 1, nearly four of five people at risk for hunger are not using food stamps or emergency food programs, according to Food Bank data. Participation in the food stamp program lessens dependence on struggling emergency food programs, said Ashley Baughman, Policy and Research Coordinator for the Food Bank.

In other presentations to the borough cabinet, Assistant Commissioner of Veterinary and Pest Control Services for the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Dr. Edgar Butts, Ph.D, said prevention plans for West Nile Virus began on April 15 with the start of surveillance for standing water sites and dead birds. Twenty-eight potential locations for mosquito breeding were also checked, with breeding found at six places. June and July are the peak months for mosquito breeding. Butts said additional spraying to control adult mosquitoes may take place. "I cannot tell you what we predict for West Nile Virus, that's an unknown. Hopefully, we will have a successful year," he said.

Marcia Caton, RN, Ph.D, also spoke of asthma education at LaGuardia Community College, where a federal grant is being used for individualized assessments of home environments to control asthma "triggers".