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In the past couple weeks, anti-Semitic hate crimes have become more and more frequent. When unknown vandals set fire to three cars on Ocean Parkway in the Midwood area, the community was outraged at how violent the crime was. That set off a trend of “copycat” acts, occurring anywhere from Sheepshead Bay to Williamsburg. Neil Friedman, who contributes weekly to his personal blog, gives his take on what’s being done about the crimes.
The results from the earlier poll are in! Nearly two dozen people responded to my survey about food insecurity in New York. One of the most striking findings to come from the survey was that the overwhelming majority has never received food stamps or government assistance. Most never had to skip meals due to not being able to afford it, either. The one thing that almost every respondent shared was the value of having quality food accessible and available at a good price.
Red Hook CSA Half Share Week. Image courtesy of aur289 on Flickr.
Many respondents answered that they were not sure if the government was doing enough to help those that don’t have access to healthy food. When asked what measures could be taken in order to improve the state of food insecurity, one individual believes the government should be more involved. “Food stamps are only a temporary solution to a much bigger problem at hand. One thing the government should do is provide support for local efforts that are already focused on promoting healthy and affordable food, meaning farmer’s markets and community-run food co-ops.” Perhaps more celebrities, beyond Yoko Ono, should attach their names to a problem that affects one out of every five households in New York City.
Do you feel the government is doing enough to help those that are food insecure?
How often do you skip meals because you can’t afford them?
Unpaid internships have grown increasingly common in the past few years. Journalists, performers and those in the arts industry have grown accustomed to working for free in exchange for real-world experience. Even those with advanced degrees pursuing careers in the arts or entertainment often have to sacrifice pay in order to establish themselves in their field of choice.
McKinley Baker, 25, can’t receive academic credit for her unpaid internships – she completed a Masters last June in a script-writing program. While she often isn’t getting paid for her internship, she recognizes that they are essential to furthering a career in performance arts. In order to make up for living expenses, she’ll pick up work on the side, waiting for her big break.
Stage Door Theatre Breaks in London. Courtesy of AndyRobertsPhotos.
Monica Castillo, 24, went back to school for a Masters in Music Business after unsuccessfully finding work even with a few internships under her belt. She still understands their necessity, although most are unpaid.
McKinley explains the value of having these internships, while questioning their legality in the workplace.
Here she talks about some of the pitfalls of relying on temporary work for money.
Monica reluctantly agrees that making connections is the real value behind most internships. Making Connections
Working hard or hardly working? Courtesy of Wonderlane.
Interns chat away, waiting for their opportunity to contribute something significant to the workplace.
Celebs came out in full force last night for the Golden Heart Awards Celebration, hosted by God’s Love We Deliver, a non-profit meal provider for residents in New York City. The event organizers celebrated the work of fashion designer Carolina Herrera and 25 Years of Volunteers at the chic Skylight space in Soho, where invited guests were treated to cocktails and dinner.
God’s Love We Deliver delivers around 4,000 meals every weekday to those who are ill with life-threatening diseases. There are about 1.4 million people living in New York City that are affected by hunger and food insecurity. Even though almost half of food pantries and soup kitchens do not have sufficient resources to operate at full capacity, God’s Love We Deliver prides itself on never having a wait list.
Sandra Lee, of Food Network fame and wife to Governor Cuomo, arrived in head-to-toe black with matching black spectacles. Lee wanted to make clear what her purpose at the event was.
“We have a lot volunteers that deliver every day to our clients in need that we’re here to celebrate and fundraise for,” she said. Other attendees include Tory Burch, Calvin Klein, Anna Wintour and Alan Cumming.
Yoko Ono has become one the latest public figures to address the growing problem of food insecurity in the United States. Food insecurity is defined as the lack of access to proper and nutritious food to lead a healthy lifestyle.
She’ll be teaming up with Hard Rock International and WhyHunger to promote awareness and raise money to combat childhood hunger through various events on Nov 1.
The announcement comes just a week after Sesame Street aired a primetime special called, “Growing Hope Against Hunger,” which aimed to spread awareness about the growing problem of food insecurity amongst children. Lily, a 7-year-old girl, will be introduced as a new neighbor to the block whose family must rely on programs such as food stamps and pantries after suffering economic setbacks.
Sesame Street's new character, Lily. Courtesy of ABCNews.com.
Judging by the 44 percent increase in families that had to use food pantries between 2007 and 2009, Lily is an accurate reflection of how families are struggling to eat in today’s economy.
According to the New York City Coalition Against Hunger, 1 out of every 5 kids live in a home with inadequate food. They’ve developed a hunger map for the area, which serves a resource for those looking for food banks, farmer’s markets, summer meals and soup kitchens.
Take a minute to share your experiences with food insecurity.
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