>>> ALL RIGHT.
RIGHT NOW MILLIONS OF FAMILIES
ARE ASKING THEMSELVES A
HEARTBREAKING QUESTION.
WHERE WILL MY NEXT MEAL COME
FROM?
ACCORDING TO "THE WASHINGTON
POST," 26 MILLION AMERICANS NOW
SAY THEY DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH TO
EAT AS THIS PANDEMIC CONTINUES
TO WORSEN, AND THE HOLIDAY NEAR.
BACK IN APRIL, MY COLLEAGUE
CRAIG MELVIN VISITED CORONA,
QUEENS.
THE LINES OF PEOPLE AT THE FOOD
BANK THERE STRETCHED AROUND AN
ENTIRE CITY BLOCK.
TODAY MSNBC RETURNS THERE AS THE
SIGNATURE MEDIA PARTNER OF
GIVING TUESDAY.
THROUGHOUT THE DAY WE’RE
HIGHLIGHTING CHARITIES WHO HELP
THOSE WHO NEED IT THE MOST.
I WANT TO BRING IN THE MAN WHO
HELPED RUN THAT FOOD BANK, THE
VICE PRESIDENT FOR MISSION AT
CATHOLIC CHARITIES BROOKLYN AND
QUEENS.
SIR, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR
JOINING US.
YOU AND CRAIG FIRST TALKED BACK
IN APRIL, CLOSE TO THE BEGINNING
OF THE PANDEMIC, WHEN A NUMBER
OF FAMILIES WERE STRUGGLING.
I DON’T THINK ANY OF US REALIZED
THE SCOPE OF WHAT WE WERE ABOUT
TO WITNESS OVER THE PAST SEVERAL
MONTHS.
HOW HAVE THINGS CHANGED OVER THE
LAST SEVEN MONTHS?
>> OH, MY GOODNESS.
WELL, I SURE APPRECIATE YOU
HAVING US ON TO CONTINUE,
BECAUSE THE STORY HAS CONTINUED.
YOU KNOW, THAT POP-UP THAT WE
DID AT THE FOOD PANTRY THAT YOU
SAW, THAT CONTINUED THROUGH THE
SPRING, THROUGH THE SUMMER.
AND NOW WE’RE STILL DOING
EVENTS.
WE JUST DID AN EVENT FOR 1,600
FAMILIES AROUND THANKSGIVING.
PEOPLE ARE IN PRETTY MUCH A
PLACE WHERE THEY -- A LOT OF
THEIR BENEFITS ARE BEING
CANCELED, SO THEY REALLY NEED
THE FOOD PANTRIES THAT WE SERVE.
>> WE’LL CERTAINLY KEEP THE
SPOTLIGHT ON THAT AS MUCH AS WE
CAN.
LET ME ASK YOU, SIR, AS PEOPLE
PLAN TO GIVE BACK THIS GIVING
TUESDAY, TALK TO US A LITTLE BIT
ABOUT THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES
YOUR ORGANIZATION FACES RIGHT
NOW.
>> I THINK SOME OF THE BIGGER
CHALLENGES THAT WE SEE IS, FIRST
OF ALL, JUST THE VOLUME OF
PEOPLE THAT WE SEE.
WE DEFINITELY NEED THE
DONATIONS.
WE DEFINITELY NEED THE
VOLUNTEERS TO HELP SOME OF THESE
BIG PROJECTS THAT WE DID.
AND WE’RE SO GRATEFUL, MANY
PEOPLE HAVE STEPPED FORWARD INTO
THESE THINGS.
TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA, AN
AVERAGE -- WE’RE A NETWORK OF 20
FOOD PANTRIES THAT WE’VE STARTED
OUT WITH PRE-COVID.
WE’VE ALSO SUPPORTED 28 OTHER
FOOD PANTRIES, SO 48 TOTAL, TO
TRY TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE.
BUT ONE OF OUR FOOD PANTRIES
THAT WOULD NORMALLY SEE,
PRE-COVID, LIKE 40 PEOPLE, NOW
HAVE LIKE 400 PEOPLE COMING.
SO AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, THE
RESOURCES TO DO THAT IS IMMENSE,
BECAUSE BASICALLY WE’RE TAKING A
LOOK, SOMETIMES ON A MONTHLY
BASIS WE’RE UP TO AROUND
$200,000, TO BUY AND TO MOBILIZE
THE FOOD THAT WE NEED TO DO.
WE DO HAVE SOME GREAT PARTNERS
HELPING US DO THAT.
BUT IT’S CERTAINLY A CHALLENGE.
IT’S THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE THAT
WE HAVE.
>> CAN I ASK YOU ABOUT SOME OF
THOSE 400 OR SO PEOPLE YOU WERE
REFERRING TO THERE?
WHAT DO YOU HEAR MOST FROM THE
PEOPLE WHO LEAN ON YOUR
ORGANIZATION FOR HELP?
WHAT ARE THEY TELLING YOU?
>> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I
THINK, AND YOU SEE THIS IN SOME
OF THE LITERATURE TOO, AND IT’S
TRUE, I WOULD SAY 40% OF THOSE
PEOPLE NEVER WENT TO A FOOD
PANTRY BEFORE IN THEIR LIVES.
BUT BECAUSE OF COVID, THE
CLOSING OF BUSINESSES,
PARTICULARLY IN THE SERVICE
INDUSTRY, MANY FIND THEMSELVES
THAT THEY HAVE NO ALTERNATIVE
BUT TO COME TO FEED THEIR
FAMILIES AND COME TO THESE FOOD PANTRIES.
SO THAT’S A BIG PIECE OF THEM.
I SAW YOU HAD THE DEBATE BACK
AND FORTH, BUDGETS AND DIFFERENT
THINGS, BUT THE REALITY IS THERE
NEEDS TO BE SOME RELIEF FOR
PEOPLE.
UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS WILL END
AT THE END OF DECEMBER.
IN THE CITY HERE WE HAVE
MORATORIUMS ON RENT-COLLECTING
THAT WILL COME TO AN END.
SO THERE’S A LOT OF IMPORTANT
ISSUES THAT MAKE PEOPLE VERY