Luis Diaz, a Bronx resident, is overjoyed as he shakes Councilman Andrew Cohen’s hand. He asks for a picture, saying, “I want to show people that, you know, I know big people.”

A photo was snapped at Unique People Services (UPS), located at 3510 Bainbridge Ave. Diaz has been getting assistance there since 2014. He’s since moved into a role as a pantry volunteer.

Diaz put the need for pantries in clear terms, saying, “It’s more than just food, it’s being aware.”

The Bainbridge UPS pantry was founded in 2009 and operates via discretionary funds from the New York City Council and donations from the Food Bank of New York and United Way.

Cohen’s visit served to demonstrate the importance of the UPS program as well as to introduce himself to residents, like Diaz, who comprise its backbone.

“I try to support people who are helping themselves and helping the community,” said Cohen. “That’s really been my charge and I am going to keep doing it.”

Cohen recently allocated funds for Mosholu Montefiore Community Center’s first-ever food pantry. His visit and donation to MMCC comes as the Bronx remains the hungriest borough, according to a 2017 report by New York City-based Hunger Free America.

Funding, not demand has been the challenge for local pantries. The UPS pantry has seen its number of recipients steadily rise. “We [now] feed around 1500 people annually from our food pantry – and we are relatively small,” said Yvette Brissett-André, UPS executive director.

Putting the growth in perspective, distribution has grown from 20 to 200 bags per month since the pantry’s opening, according to Michael Ealy, UPS director of mental health services. Originally, the UPS program’s goal was to improve recipients’ diets, but now they serve to address the broader issue of hunger in the Bronx. They recognize that, for some, the pantry is a matter of survival.

Diaz is acutely aware of this necessity, being both a recipient and a volunteer. Without the pantries, he says, “a lot of people would go starving. They probably will do bad things to get money, to meet their needs.”

“You got a lot of kids out there that are really starving,” added Diaz. “They go to school hungry. Please come and donate. We need all the help we can get for people everywhere.”

Brissett-André and Ealy emphasize that donations of either food or money are more than welcome. Any size donation helps. The pantry is also looking to move to a larger space where more food could be stored, meeting the increasing demand. UPS is hoping a local church would like to partner with UPS and host a larger version of the pantry.

Editor’s Note: Interested donors can reach UPS at www.uniquepeopleservices.org or at (718) 231-7711 and ask for Brisset-André or Ealy. The pantry is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Wednesday.