NYC Food Pantry Sees a Growing Demand Over the Holidays

On a recent Friday afternoon, the line to fill grocery bags at Part of the Solution or POTS in the Bronx was about ten people deep.

Emergency Food Programs Coordinator Taina Rodriguez said POTS has seen a steady increase in demand since last November. That's when a $5 billion cut to the federal food stamp program, SNAP, took effect.

"It made more people be affected by it," Rodriguez said. "Which means a bigger need. Which means new households that were never in need are now showing up to the soup kitchens and pantries."

Rodriguez said the holidays are an especially challenging time for POTS.

"We don't have enough resources for every household, so you have to make some tough decisions on exactly who's going to get the turkey, who can we help, what can our budget sustain. And that's always the challenge."

A POTS client, Merily, said one of those tough decisions impacted her Thanksgiving last year.

"I couldn't get any turkey but I got the stuffing for the turkey. I got some nice bread. I'd like to get one this year though."

 Merily is unemployed, and she said even though she didn't get a turkey last year, POTS is still the best pantry.