After three weeks closed by holidays and a COVID surge, Roosevelt Island’s reopened food pantry drew a long appreciative line on Main Street.
by David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
Pre-bagged groceries were lined up a half-hour before Roosevelt Islanders began filing in for pickups. Waiting lines under the shelter of Roosevelt Landings’s covered sidewalk soon extended past Pup Culture and down the MSTDA alley. Dogs in a play area inside found it entertaining.
New Additions: Face Masks and Test Kits
After handing out face masks in Good Shepherd Plaza, last week, City Council Member Julie Menin’s team moved inside, working with the reopened food pantry organizers.
Supplies were limited, but Menin was able to also snag some at-home test kits from Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine.
The future of the reopened food pantry…
RIDA president Wendy Hersh launched the free food pantry when COVID’s first huge wave shutdown New York City. Many were desperate. Through one wave after another, she’s kept supplies flowing in and relieved residents flowing out with fresh food. She will keep that going, as long as the need persists.
Also from the Roosevelt Island Daily
- Octagon Park Lecture Nov. 16: Was the Park’s Plan a Success?Octagon Park lecture: architect John di Domenico revisits how the park was planned 35 years ago and whether it worked. Free, Nov. 16, 6:30 p.m., island library.
- Friday’s PSD blotter: two theft reports at 425 Main, three hospital runsRIOC’s Nov. 13 PSD blotter lists 15 incidents, all on Main Street, including two petit larceny reports at 425 Main Street, three hospital transports and five entries at 546 Main.
- Variety Boys and Girls Club Sale: Astoria Property Sells for $28 MillionThe Variety Boys and Girls Club sale brings $28 million for its longtime Astoria property. Questions remain about the building’s future and youth programs.
- Fall Prevention for Seniors: Make Your Apartment Safer, Nov. 20Fall prevention for seniors: Sen. Krueger’s Nov. 20 virtual roundtable tours a typical NYC apartment, with tips on landlord changes and balance. RSVP on Zoom.
- Thursday’s PSD blotter: two hospital runs, a trespass summons at 888 MainRIOC’s Nov. 12 PSD blotter lists 15 incidents: six medical calls, two alarms at 546 Main Street, and a late-night trespass at 888 Main Street that ended with a summons.
Ten Years, or Another Temporary Fix?
Roosevelt Island was built through public investment, then expected to support itself through development. The ten-year lease extension gives RIOC a rare chance to replace short-term deals with a financial system designed to outlast the people approving them.
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