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Brooklyn Pantry Steps Up Food Offerings for Blizzard Prep

By Camille Bautista | January 26, 2015 7:37pm
 Frederick Herbert of East New York braces himself against the snow after picking up groceries at Bed-Stuy Campaign Against Hunger's food pantry. The organization served five times the number of regular visitors on Monday in anticipation of this week's blizzard.
Frederick Herbert of East New York braces himself against the snow after picking up groceries at Bed-Stuy Campaign Against Hunger's food pantry. The organization served five times the number of regular visitors on Monday in anticipation of this week's blizzard.
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DNAinfo/Camille Bautista

BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — Dozens of Brooklyn residents lined up in the snow outside Brooklyn pantries on Monday to stock up on food and essential items in preparation for this week’s blizzard. 

Bed-Stuy Campaign Against Hunger, which distributes groceries to thousands of New Yorkers each week, increased its food allotment to families and extended its hours to accommodate a steady stream of locals.

The pantry saw five times the number of regular visitors on Monday, according to a BSCAH representative.

“It’s been extremely crowded and extremely busy, and we made sure our pantry was fully stocked for the families that fear being shut in from the snow,” said Regina Ginyard, director of communications and community engagement at BSCAH.

The community organization, located at the intersection of the Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brownsville, and Ocean Hill neighborhoods, serves more than 25,000 individuals a month.

On a regular snow day, an estimated 100 people make the trek to pick up groceries, one worker said. By Monday afternoon, 500 individuals had visited the pantry for supplies.

Each family received staple items such as bread and water in anticipation of the first big snowstorm of the year, Ginyard added.

“This storm right here has got me worried,” said Frederick Herbert, 52. “I’ve been making preparations since Friday.”

As snowfall picked up Monday afternoon, Herbert, an East New York resident, left the Fulton Street pantry with two boxes of groceries and planned to push his cart more than a mile back home.

“There’s six of us in the family so you know I have to stock up, but good thing they’re giving us a little extra just in case,” Herbert said. “Even if that happens, you know I’ll be out there shoveling all day.”