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  • Writer's pictureEpiscopal Charities
    • Jul 25
    • 9 min read

Weekly Resource Round-Up: July 25, 2023

This Week's Resources

If you have resources to share with our network, please contact Tobi Mojeed-Balogun our Associate Director of Programs Support.


NYS COVID and MonkeyPox Updates (Plus Info about the Flu, RSV, and Norovirus)


A lot of the news around mandates, vaccines and restrictions have been a little confusing so I will list some resources below that might help.

  • NYS Department of Health COVID website - It's a one stop shop with an info summary at the top. Link here.

  • Walgreens COVID Index - there's concerns about the accuracy of some COVID trackers but Wallgreens released one based on their tests. Link here.

  • NYC Department of Health Monkeypox Webpage - lots of information and resources about the virus with pictures of the rash included. Find the link here.

  • With Mpox at Risk of Flaring, Health Officials Advise, ‘Get Vaccinated’ - New York Times - Read here

  • COVID vs Flu vs RSV info - I found a good article from the Washington post that gives information about three viruses that have been spiking this winter. Read the article here.

  • The Time Magazine article on the new variant (XBB.1.5) - Link Here

  • Gothamist article on Norovirus, a stomach bug that is hitting the Northeast - Read more here.


New York Announces 60-Day Limit to Stays in City Shelter (The Documented)


"New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced that the City will be rolling out 60-day notices to find alternative forms of housing for asylum seekers who have been in city shelters for a significant amount of time. These new guidelines, first reported by Gothamist, come after Adams said that New York City’s system for those facing housing insecurity has reached “full capacity” and that “we have no more room in the city”.

The update to NYC’s shelter policy will apply to single adult migrants, not to children or families. Those impacted will receive a notice of 60 days in the upcoming weeks with extensive casework services to explore alternative forms of housing. If they are unable to find housing, migrants can reapply for a shelter bed at a shelter intake system. They could be reassigned a different shelter bed if there is one available. If not — Adams says that people in need will have to “wait”." Read more here.


City Officials Seeking Private Contractors to Take Over Management of Migrant Shelters (The City)


"New York City officials are seeking to offload management of emergency migrant shelters overseen by the Health and Hospital system to subcontractors, according to a new request for proposals published in the City Record.

In a notice released Monday, city officials described seeking groups capable of project management to take the reins at the large-scale and longer-term shelters for migrants that the city calls Humanitarian Resource and Relief Centers, or HERRCs, 13 of which are up and running across the city.

Bidders have until mid-August to submit proposals. Year-long contracts to run the shelters would begin in November, at which time the subcontractors will be expected to provide “full-scale project management support,” the request for proposals reads." Read more here.


Migrants Walk Out of Shelter After Spoiled Food Sickens Kids, Again (The City)


"A group of migrant families walked out of their Sheepshead Bay shelter in an impromptu protest of the food provided there, which they say has sickened several people and resulted in emergency room visits.

Within about an hour of eating meals of chicken and rice Tuesday evening, several children began throwing up on site. Adults who inspected the remaining food found it emitting a gut-wrenching odor, several told THE CITY.

“It was green and slimy,” José Meneses, 34, told THE CITY over the phone during the impromptu demonstration in the motel parking lot on Tuesday night. He spoke in Spanish, as did all the migrants quoted here." Read more here.


Here's How Inflation Is Impacting Grocery Prices In NYC (Patch)


"NEW YORK — Inflation slowed to 3 percent in June — not that residents of New York saw much difference from the previous month’s grocery bills, according to the government’s latest consumer price index report.

Overall last month, grocery prices were 4.7 percent higher than they were at the same time last year, according to the June inflation report released Wednesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In the New York, Newark, and Jersey City region, the food-at-home category saw a 4.4 percent increase over the past year. Though groceries are still more expensive than they were a year ago, costs have leveled off during the past three months." Read more here.


Federal Food Assistance Cuts Should Spur Charities to Rethink How They Feed Families (The Chronicle Of Philanthropy)


"Americans facing food insecurity experienced a one-two punch during the past few months. First, pandemic-era emergency food assistance was cut this spring, leaving households with anywhere from $95 to $250 less a month to feed their families. Now the debt-ceiling deal passed by Congress and signed by President Biden last week includes expanded work requirements for people receiving food assistance, potentially making it harder for families to put enough food on the table.

In response, food banks and other food charities have been using terms like “hunger crisis” and “hunger cliff” in their fundraising materials and social-media posts to solicit donations. Many ask variations on this question: “How will we feed everyone who comes to our food pantry for help?”

That’s the wrong question.

The question to ask — and answer — is this: How do we make sure everybody in the country can always count on getting the healthy food they need to thrive?" Read more here.


Is There Anything to the Panic Over Ultraprocessed Foods? (Slate)


"...What I often feed my kid (and myself) are what some researchers call “ultraprocessed foods,” a capaciously defined term which can include everything from foods that are inarguably junk (Funyuns, anyone?) to whole-grain, prepackaged bread with a single artificial preservative. More than half of the American diet comes from ultraprocessed foods, which is maybe a bad thing: Observational research has correlated a diet high in ultraprocessed food to various chronic health conditions in children and adults, from diabetes to obesity to poor brain health.

Because of this troubling evidence, government health agencies and experts writing for popular audiences are sounding the alarm about ultraprocessed foods. Government experts in the U.K. and the U.S. are currently examining the evidence about the health harms of ultraprocessed foods, and their findings could shape the next national dietary guidelines. Already, national guidelines in Brazil, Israel, and other countries urge their citizens to avoid them completely. A book by the British doctor and television personality Chris van Tulleken, called Ultra-Processed People, debuted at No. 1 on the U.K. bestseller list this spring. This has all produced a flurry of scary headlines: “Beware of the Food That Isn’t Food,” “Why Ultra-Processed Foods Are So Bad for You,” “Ultraprocessed Foods Are Easy, Cheap and Could Be Killing You.”

It’s understandable if you’re tempted to throw out your protein bars and pouches of baby food and commit to a life of toting Tupperwares filled with quinoa and carrot sticks. But are ultraprocessed foods really that bad? Or is this just the latest nutritional panic?" Read more here.


Documented's Immigrant Resources and Job/Housing Discrimination Guides


"Documented has gathered all of the resources we can find to help immigrant New Yorkers. New links will be added and the following pages will be constantly updated. If you would like us to add information to this list or have questions, please reach out to us at info@documentedny.com."


Find the guide here.


"The New York City Human Rights Law is one of the most comprehensive anti-discrimination laws in the country, prohibiting discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations based on race, color, religion/creed, age, national origin, immigration or citizenship status, gender (including sexual harassment), gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, military service, marital status and partnership status. As a newsroom that serves immigrant communities, Documented has written a comprehensive guide for immigrants."


Find this guides here.


Free Summer Meals for NYC Kids Until September 1 (The Morning Belly)


"This summer, every New Yorker aged 18 and under has access to healthy and nutritious food — no matter who they are or where they live.

Through the NYC Department of Education’s Free Summer Meals program, any young New Yorker who is 18 years old and under can get free, healthy, and nutritious breakfast and lunch this summer at designated public schools, community pool centers, parks, and food trucks across the five boroughs! Sites are typically open Monday through Friday for breakfast and lunch—no registration, documentation, or identification is necessary to receive free meals. Some sites, including our pool centers as well as our food trucks, also offer free summer meals during weekends, too."

Read more here.


Free ride: MTA to nix fares on 5 NYC bus routes by late September (Gothamist)


"Free rides are coming to five city bus routes by Sept. 24, the MTA said on Monday.

MTA officials said during a committee meeting that fares won’t be collected on one route in each of the five boroughs for at least six months as part of a program mandated by the state.

  • The B60, which runs in Brooklyn between Williams and Flatlands Avenue, in Canarsie, and Williamsburg Bridge Plaza.

  • The M116, which operates across Manhattan, primarily along 116th Street, Manhattan Avenue and W 106 Street.

  • The Q4 LCL/LTD, which runs in southeast Queens between Cambria Heights and Jamaica Center.

  • The S46/96, which runs in Staten Island between the St. George Ferry Terminal and West Shore Plaza.

  • The BX18 A/B, which runs in a loop in the western Bronx between Undercliff Avenue or Sedgwick Avenue and Grand Concourse"

Read more here



Hudson Link Employer Toolkit


Our friends at Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison put together an employer toolkit for hiring formerly incarcerated people. Thank you to Sean Pica, Eldredge Blalock, Elisabeth Santiago, and the rest of the team at Hudson Link for this important resource. The toolkit can be found here. If you have any questions about hiring formerly incarcerated people, please contact Elisabeth Santiago from Hudson Link's Alumni Services at esantiago@hudsonlink.org.


Community Food Funders Newslink


Community Food Funders has opened up their newsletter to a wider audience (so not just food funders). "Each month, CFF compiles a newsletter with news, articles, reports, and events for those in our region interested in an equitable and sustainable food system." Highlights on this month's newsletter include:


  • New Exploratory Grants Program - In 2023, the Tauck Family Foundation (TFF) plans to distribute several exploratory grants ranging from $10,000 to $25,000. The intention is to use learnings from a variety of grantee partners to help inform and further refine their areas of focus and the specific impact they seek to achieve through their giving. The Foundation seeks to support communities and groups most affected by climate and other environmental challenges by distributing grants to organizations for new or existing efforts that contribute to healthy land use and regenerative ecosystems. A link to their Exploratory Grant Eligibility Checklist, Guidelines, and Application as well as other resources is available here. You can also read about the Foundation's recently announced shift to the environment sector with new vision, mission, and long-term outcomes. Application deadline: August 1, 2023

  • Study: Food insecurity among households with children during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic - Understanding impacts of the COVID-19 pan­demic among households with children is neces­sary to design appropriate public health responses that protect food and nutrition security. The objec­tive of this research was to understand predictors of food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic among households with at least one child. Con­sistent with other data collected and analyzed dur­ing the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, this study contributes findings that emphasize the need for enhanced public health responses and emer­gency preparedness measures that protect food and nutrition security.

  • Food Forward NYC: 2-Year Progress Report - Food Forward NYC is the City’s first ever 10-year food policy plan, laying out an comprehensive policy framework to reach a more equitable, sustainable, and healthy food system by 2031. Food Forward NYC emphasizes the importance of equity and choice - enabling a food system where everyone should be able to access the food they want wherever they may want it. To enable this choice, we need to support both our food workers and our food businesses. To strengthen the sustainability and resiliency of our food system, we need to rethink our food infrastructure and deepen our connections with the region.

  • NY Healthy Food, Healthy Lives Match Program - This ioby match opportunity may be of interest to BIPOC-led organizations using grassroots fundraising approaches to support food justice work in New York State. For approved participants, donors are matched up to $1,000 and projects may access up to $5,000 in matching, until the program ends. Learn about eligibility requirements and share your idea.

  • Dyson Foundation Mini-Grant Program - The Dyson Foundation’s mini-grant program funds capacity-building projects that improve a nonprofit’s administrative, governance, or programmatic functions. Mini-grants enable nonprofit board, staff, and volunteer leaders to develop new skills through specific consultant-led capacity-building activities, or through conferences, seminars, and other relevant training opportunities. Mini-grants are available to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and libraries in the Mid-Hudson Valley. Grants are available on a rolling basis.

I will continue to include highlights from each month's newsletter on our weekly resource round-ups but if you would like to subscribe yourself, the link is here. The link to last month's newsletter is here and their archive is here.


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That's all for this week -- thanks for all you do!


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