As chronicled in the Bronx Times, roughly 120 families affected by the Jan. 9 high-rise fire in the Fordham Heights section are still in need of long-term relief as they continue to find pathways to permanent housing and food security.
Online food ordering platform Grubhub is stepping in to help out local recovery efforts through a $100,000 donation to BronxWorks to address the long-term needs of those still affected by the fire. According to a spokesperson from Grubhub, funding from the online platformer will support the longer-term recovery of surviving families as they rebuild their households, including by covering expenses related to childcare services, furniture and education.
“Grubhub is proud to partner with BronxWorks in its efforts to support families heartbreakingly displaced by the Twin Parks North West Fire earlier this year,” said Brett Swanson, senior manager, community affairs and social impact at GrubHub. “We look forward to working with BronxWorks and city and state leaders to help those families get back on their feet and ensure a stable future for the community.”
The donation will also help families impacted by other recent Bronx fires.
Since the fire, BronxWorks has been working closely with each family to identify their urgent and long-term needs but has been stretched thin as local officials said they have 4 to 5 caseworkers working with 120 families. BronxWorks was contracted by the state to oversee intake, assessment, and case management services in coordination with state, city, and local elected officials, and several other community organizations.
“Grubhub and the officials who are helping to shepherd the donation are essential partners in our work to ensure Bronx families impacted by the fire not only have their immediate needs met, but have hope for the future,” says Eileen Torres, executive director of BronxWorks. “We are grateful for this gift because these families, who have experienced immense trauma, will continue to need ongoing support in the months ahead.”
For two months, displaced tenants of the Twin Parks North West apartment fire that killed 17, along with those assisting in local relief efforts, have been pleading for transparency on the current donation totals to, and distribution plans for, the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City that was supposed to aid those impacted.
Show me the money: Bronx fire victims, community groups asking ‘what’s in the Mayor’s Fund?’
The last amount raised through the Mayor’s Fund and made public by Mayor Eric Adams was $2.5 million back on Jan. 19. But with donations from celebrities’ like Bronxite rap superstar Cardi B and others who partnered with the fund, the figure is believed to be higher.
Adams said 100% of the proceeds would go to those impacted. To date, however, affected Twin Parks tenants of record have only received $2,250 from the fund, a figure that was announced on Jan. 14 by Adams, and since confirmed by the Bronx Times.
Reach Robbie Sequeira at rsequeira@schnepsmedia.com or (718) 260-4599. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes.
