Step Up Emergency Food Fund Awards $50K Grant to Part of the Solution

Step Up for Better Living has awarded a grant in the amount of $50,000 to Part of the Solution (POTS). POTS will use the funds to help sustain their Emergency Food Programs, which provide nutritional prepared meals and groceries to our neighbors in need during the Covid-19 crisis. This contributes to the stability of their health, and the well-being of the community.

Step Up’s approach is to provide organizations access to funding to add staff, expand services, and purchase food and personal protective equipment (PPE). We have already awarded $200,000 to BronxWorks to help the program expand hours and purchase food and PPE for their food pantry near Yankee Stadium. Overall, we are partnering with more than 20 nonprofits and food pantries working on the front lines to provide assistance. 

POTS’ mission is to be a loving community in the Bronx, that nourishes the basic needs and hungers of all who come to its door. Their unique “one-stop shop” model of interrelated programming offers a range of supportive services. The organization works to integrate all of its services, so that each client is provided with access to as many supports as they may need. With 40 years of experience responding to the needs of clients facing crisis, POTS is in a strong position to respond to the challenges posed to our community by Covid-19. 

Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, the Bronx was New York City’s hungriest borough. More than one in four (26%) of Bronx residents, including nearly 20% of all children, experienced food insecurity in 2018, according to federal data analyzed by Hunger Free America. Nearly one third of Bronx residents, approximately 400,000 individuals, live in poverty, and struggle to maintain a healthy diet. With this backdrop, the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected those who live in this community.

Step Up for Better Living provides a full array of social services for over 200 South Bronx families and seniors. Step Up’s mission is to enable members of the South Bronx community to remain in safe, quality, and affordable housing. The Step Up Emergency Food Fund was launched to raise $5M to fight food insecurity and get food in the hands of families who desperately need it.