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Dear Veteran Community,
Mayor Bill de Blasio made a commitment that no New Yorker would go hungry during the COVID-19 pandemic. In keeping with this goal, the NYC Department of Veterans’ Services (DVS) is doing its part to ensure that vulnerable Veterans across the City have enough to eat.
Last week, we launched an effort to deliver 10,000 non-perishable meals to organizations that serve Veterans across the five boroughs, assuring that Veterans in need and their families have additional food in case they cannot obtain groceries or meals.
I would like to thank Hostos Community College - including Hostos’ President, Dr. David Gomez—for generously storing this food as we coordinate in real-time with our partners to retrieve food from Hostos in order to deliver it to Veterans and those close to them.
Likewise, I wish to thank the NYC Office of Emergency Management and the NYC Department of Sanitation for giving us the food that is being delivered. Without them, none of this would be possible.
Further, a special thank you goes to our partners who are currently distributing the non-perishable meals to those who are in need. This includes Black Veterans for Social Justice, the Bronx County American Legion, the American Legion’s Sam Young Post (Post 620), the Jericho Project, SAGE NYC’s SAGEVets Program, Samaritan Village, Volunteers of America, Concern for Independent Living, HELP USA, the James J. Peters VA Medical Center, the Bronx Veterans Center, Harlem United, Bronx Community Board 9, Housing and Services, Inc (Kenmore Hall), and the Food Bank for New York City.
Additionally, for the effort to deliver meals beyond the non-perishable items that are currently being provided through our longtime partners, DVS has established an ongoing plan to help Veterans obtain food through a new partnership with GetFoodNYC. GetFoodNYC is the City’s initiative to provide food for COVID-19 vulnerable and food-insecure New Yorkers. Any New Yorker may contact GetFoodNYC through messaging coordinators online here. Beyond that, a map conveying free food resources across the City, including food pantries and Grab & Go Meals that are available at NYC Schools, can be found online here. To apply for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, also known as food stamps) or cash assistance online, please visit this site.
Through our partnership with GetFoodNYC, homebound Veterans may access GetFoodNYC’s Food Delivery Assistance Program through creating an account with the program directly, contacting DVS by phone at (212) 416-5250, calling 311, emailing us at connect@veterans.nyc.gov, or messaging us online here. Once contacted, we will assist you promptly in arranging to have food delivered directly to your home.
To be clear: GetFoodNYC’s Food Delivery Assistance Program is specifically for New Yorkers who are not able to go out and get their own food, who have no one to bring them food, and who are not able to use private delivery options. If you know other NYC Veterans who may benefit from this service, then please forward or relay this message to them.
Together, our Veteran community will get through this crisis and re-emerge stronger than ever.
To learn more about the NYC Department of Veterans’ Services and how we can help you, please visit www.nyc.gov/vets, email us at connect@veterans.nyc.gov, or call us at (212) 416-5250.
I wish you and your loved ones safety and health through this challenging time.
Thank you.
Warm Regards,
James
Commissioner James Hendon,
New York City Department of Veterans’ Services
Please follow us at www.nyc.gov/vets, on social media @nycveterans, or via email at connect@veterans.nyc.gov for the latest information regarding COVID-19's impact on NYC's veteran community.
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