While many are used to seeing plenty of run-support come out of Yankee Stadium, this week, the iconic Bronx ballpark was being used for food support for New Yorkers in need instead.
The stadium’s bleachers gate flipped into a pop-up food pantry on Monday Sept. 21, distributing over 500 boxes to a socially distant, temperature checked line of those that accepted the charitable offering.
Reports indicate that 17.5 percent of Bronx residents and 23.5 percent of Bronx children were struggling with food insecurity and there is fear of those numbers worsening. The borough’s unemployment figures have jumped from 5.8 to 24.9 percent in 2020 as a quarter of food pantries and soup kitchens were shuttered in the Bronx during the pandemic.
Monday’s distribution was part of a pop-up pantry series done by Food Bank for New York City and Yankees stadium, which will continue over the upcoming weeks as part of the Hunger Action Month initiative.
“Food Bank is also partnering with brands, advocates, influencers and New Yorkers in the fight to end hunger,” the organization said in a statement.
Other pop-up food pantries in September include: Barclays Center, Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden, New York Hall of Science and Lincoln Center.
Monday’s event was the second time Yankee Stadium was used as a food bank.
