NY Common Pantry

I’ve been a client at YCP for about 6+ months. When I first signed up I was interviewed by a very courteous and businesslike professional young man. He never made me feel less than for needing food assistance and during the interview kept up a wonderfully friendly conversation. This particular pantry also provides pet food which is wonderful and since they give it out on Fri. eve’s this young man went out of his way to accommodate my regular pickup time of Fri. AM by letting me take the pet food for my two cats and a dog to save me carefare and even more so since I use a cane to save me the extra sometimes painful effort of coming back again in the same day.
He has unfortunately and sadly (for his clients) left to pursue academic plans (absolutely wondeful for him!)and some of the people who have taken his place have been apathetic, non-​caring and sometimes downright cruel.
When you come in you hand your card over to be scanned and your order if you’ve ordered online brought up and matched with the already prepared bags. The young lady who usually takes your card and hands out the order is sometimes short with you and very seldom is ever makes eye conact. I’ve been chastised for being late even though I had called to say I was going to be late due to inclement weather. I know that I am much older than her but she made me feel like a 7 y/​o child. I have to pitiously ask each and every time for extra fruit or a canned item since I cannot take the milk they provide as I am lactose intolerant. This young lady always acts as if I am irritating her and making her go out of her way to substitute one item for another even though it was sanctioned by one of the supervisors there months ago.
The gentleman in the office who now disperses the pet food is at times downright mean; when I mentioned as a way of reminding him that I had more than one pet he was abrupt and told me «well you can only get enough for one animal».
Another time he had me wait for at least 20(!) minutes for him to give me the pet food he knew I was waiting for. Another time he just plain outright told me that the pet food wasn’t going to be dispersed until that evening even though he knew that I was allowed to take the food earlier to save carfare and the difficulty I have ambulating with a cane and a cart.
Last week I could not go to the pantry because of severe weather (spring storm) and called and left no less than 3 voice mails and later a email message saying why I couldn’t come on my scheduled day and asking if I may be advised as to when the next available day I could come to pick up my order. One and a half weeks later I still haven’t received a call or email back. I depend deeply on what they give me and have had to eat just about every other day with missing my biweekly food pick up.
I used to be a paramedic and might have well treated someone in one of these workers families or one of their friends. Hopefully I made them feel better and always made them feel as if they mattered while they were in my ambulance and until I left them in the ER.
I wish the same could be said in turn of the workers at YCP and their treatment of the clients at YCP. To be made to feel worse for needing assistance when you go someplace for that help is a sin and a shame.
Workers at YCP– There but for the Grace of God you can be where I am.
Remember He is always watching. EVERYONE deserves respect and empathy.

Whenever I find myself mentally «sailing in a turbulent storm,» I turn on my «spiritual engine» to get me through the crashing waves. But to power the engine, I need fuel and what better place to get that fuel is from volunteering opportunities like Yorkville.
At the Pantry, I got an opportunity to help pack and distribute food for fellow new yorkers while meeting like-​minded volunteers.
The organizers, staff and volunteers are friendly, funny, hardworking and dedicated to their tasks and their fellow workers. I’ll definitely come back to volunteer here again.

My company has a very close relationship with ycp. I decided to go and volunteer for a breakfast meal. I was met with smiles, hugs, and fist bumps from their staff. Everyone we served was very thankful an polite. I look forward to going back again

The Yorkville Common Pantry is a wonderful resource to have as an individual working in social services, and the work that these folk do is truly a great service to the community. Choosing to provide food for those in need in a community that often sees the majority of it inhabitants’ needs overlooked, is not only a wonderful thing, but something that other can get involved with an help make a difference. With a little more funding, additional staff and volunteers, and some solid outreach efforts this place could become a staple of the community, and help eradicate hunger in NYC.