Food Giveaways Made Thanksgiving Possible During a Once-in-a-Lifetime Pandemic

By DAVID GREENE

With food insecurity never as widespread as it has been throughout 2020, elected officials across the borough were out in force, once again, a few weeks ago handing out frozen turkeys so that Bronxites could enjoy a regular, traditional Thanksgiving dinner, despite the abnormal atmosphere amid the pandemic. On Monday, Nov. 16, Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. joined representatives from FreshDirect and City Harvest at the corner of East 137th Street and Alexander Avenue in Mott Haven, to distribute 700 turkeys with all the trimmings, as well as PPE to local residents. In a press release ahead of the

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

In her campaign to replace incumbent councilman and congressman-elect, Ritchie Torres, on the City Council, Elisa Crespo wants to focus on the issues affecting the residents of the 15th District more than on her candidacy. Among the most pressing issues, she finds, is the high rate of unemployment. “We are at Great Depression level [un]employment rates in the Bronx,” Crespo told the Norwood News in a phone interview. “In some parts of this council district, there’s a 30 percent unemployment rate.” Together with her mom and siblings, Crespo, 30, experienced job and housing insecurity growing up in Brooklyn,

By David Greene

For approximately one year, Kossuth Playground, located at East Mosholu Parkway North, between Kossuth Avenue and Steuben Avenue, has been closed for renovations. Norwood residents had said the park was in dire need of an overhaul. On Friday, Nov. 6, further to the completion of a $3.8 million renovation project, local officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark its reopening. New York City parks commissioner, Mitchell Silver, and Bronx parks commissioner, Iris Rodriguez, were joined, for the occasion, by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., State assembly members, Nathalia Fernandez and Jeffrey Dinowitz, Councilman and recently elected Bronx supreme

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Part of the Solution (POTS), a nonprofit dedicated to feeding neighbors and nourishing the community, is helping the Bronx bounce back. On Thursday Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. EST, POTS will livestream their first virtual benefit, “Helping the Bronx Bounce Back,” a feel-good virtual benefit that will showcase the resiliency of the Bronx community. The group hopes to leave the public inspired to take action and support their work. POTS stayed open throughout the worst of the pandemic and helped over 40,000 low-income Bronx neighbors. The group said that donations are critical to their ongoing mission. Gifts made between now

By SÍLE MOLONEY

On Monday, Sept. 14, 2020, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. attended the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly renovated Enid A. Haupt Conservatory palm dome which was recently completed. The iconic venue reopened in accordance with “New York Forward” safety guidelines, with very limited capacity. The magnificent glasshouse, which includes galleries, features aquatic plants and vines, lush tropical rain forests, cactus-filled deserts, and its palm dome, an architectural gem, newly replanted with majestic soaring species from around the world. Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. also helped the NYBG kick off their annual

By SÍLE MOLONEY

On Monday, Sept. 17, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. attended the The New York International Latino Film Festival (NYLFF) which, this year, hosted New York City’s first Latino drive-in experience in the Bronx. The film festival, which ran from Sept. 14 to 20 featured drive-in / in-person movie experiences and was held across the street from the Bronx Terminal Market. The venue was ADA compliant and screenings included the New York City premieres of Angel Manuel Soto’s “Charm City Kings” and John Leguizamo’s “Critical Thinking,” as well as other virtual programming. Let’s Get It 🔥🔥🔥・・・#Repost @CharmCityKings

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernandez, who formally announced her intention to run for Bronx borough president at the end of August, joined some of her staff members, Friends of Mosholu Parkland and members of the City Parks’ department on Monday Aug. 31 for another park clean-up, as part of the ongoing “Meaningful Monday” initiative. This time it was at Azalea Garden at Jerome Avenue and East Mosholu Parkway in the Bronx. The campaign which is trending on social media under the hashtag #meaningfulmonday was launched in July by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., in an effort to gather members of

By SÍLE MOLONEY

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, member of the senate committee on agriculture, nutrition and forestry, visited three food pantries in Queens, the South Bronx and Washington Heights on Monday, Aug. 31. Gillibrand met with community stakeholders on the frontlines of feeding New Yorkers and announced her bill, the Ensuring Nutrition for America’s Student’s Act. With food pantries across New York facing unprecedented and growing demand, and with schools set to reopen in just a few days, the bill will provide nutritional resources to families who have lost access to free or reduced lunches due to school closures caused by the

By Síle Moloney

Phase 3 of the reconstruction of Grand Concourse in the Bronx is completed, as announced on Aug. 11 by the City’s departments of transportation (DOT), design and construction (DDC) and environmental protection (DEP), along with Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., Council Member Vanessa Gibson and advocates. The boulevard is a “Vision Zero” priority corridor as well as one of the four “Great Streets” identified and prioritized by the de Blasio Administration for significant infrastructure and safety improvements. Approximately 3,000 New Yorkers are seriously injured and more than 200 are killed each year in traffic crashes. Being struck