Food pantry system in dire trouble

Nearly one in three of the city’s food pantries have closed amid a huge spike in demand due to coronavirus — and more are on the brink of closing, according to the Met Council on Jewish Poverty, one of the city’s biggest charities.

The alarming stat has prompted calls for $50 million in emergency funding, half from the city, half from the state.

“The situation for New York City food pantries is critical and on the verge of disaster — we could be only days away from the collapse of the food pantry system,” Met Council CEO David Greenfield said in a Sunday statement. “New York City food pantries are in dire need and we need help now or else tens of thousands of our most vulnerable New Yorkers won’t have access to food.”

Costs of essentials like chicken, eggs and meat have gone up in recent weeks, according to the Met Council, leaving organizations like it “at a disadvantage when competing with wholesalers and grocery stores for food.”

“In other cases, canceled orders and irregular delivery have placed further strain on pantries,” the council said.

Last week, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson called for $25 million in city funding for food pantries.

The Met Council wants to see a similar commitment from Albany.

Spokespersons for for Gov. Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio acknowledged the need for funding, but stopped short of committing to a dollar amount.

“Ensuring all New Yorkers have access to food during this ongoing public health crisis is critically important and we are currently looking at ways to provide emergency funding for food pantries as part of the state budget due April 1,” Cuomo spokesman Peter Ajemian said in a statement.

“We will continue to support food pantries throughout this crisis with food and staffing needs,” said de Blasio spokeswoman Laura Feyer.