Text and photo by Stacie Joy
Photo from yesterday as EVLovesNYC provided meals
to asylum seekers at the former St. Brigid School
Thank you to all the EVG readers and community members who have offered to help with the distributions for asylum seekers at the former St. Brigid School this week.
We're posting a volunteer call here. We're looking for people from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. tomorrow, Tuesday, June 6, and from 3-6 p.m. on Thursday. People can arrive at 107 Avenue B (near the corner of Seventh Street) any time in that range to assist for however long they can.
We especially need folks who can arrive early to sort and fold clothing and personal items and people who have translation skills in Spanish and French (or Arabic, Mandarin, or Russian) who may be comfortable at the tables distributing goods. (No heavy lifting!)
In-demand donations include backpacks, book bags, shoes (especially sneakers and chancletas), laundry detergent, jeans, sweats, T-shirts, shorts, underwear, jackets and sweaters. Also welcome: Blankets and bedding, washcloths and towels, and personal care kits. All for adults; there are no children or infants at this location.
The only assistance the asylum seekers are receiving is from community members. The city continues to obstruct and object to the flow of goods, food, and services, yet the Mayor's office continues to request community support. It's confusing and frustrating, though watching the neighborhood turn out repeatedly to assist has been uplifting and heartening.
Previously on EV Grieve:
I can volunteer an hour. Hope that's ok
ReplyDeleteI posted this as a comment to a related article/thread; I'm posting it again here (the bit in CAPITAL LETTERS,below, is newly-added). As this explains, my experience was cold and unfriendly; to me, the St.Brigid's gatekeepers here don't want our donations for the migrants, at least not perfectly good clothes:
ReplyDelete-----------------------------
I put together a big clothes bag of used -- but dry-cleaned and fairly high-end -- clothes, and on Sat. morning I took to St. Brigid's to contribute to the effort.
There were 3 people at metal desks inside the St.Brigid's front door, doing some sort of intake work. All of them refused my bag of clothes. ONE ACTUALLY TOLD ME TO DONATE MY STUFF TO THE "RED CROSS."
I speak Spanish, so I asked a few immigrants loitering (hanging around) outside the front door if they wanted my clothes, "gratis." I just got "no's" & blank stares.
So I walked up to that Sat. morning "flea market" (sort of a homeless swap meet) on 14th at 1st Ave., where I found a merchant with a rack of clothes for sale -- but only a handful of pieces on it. I gifted him my bag of clothes, and he seemed DELIGHTED. I think I doubled or tripled his inventory.
GOD BLESS EVERYONE who is giving their time, energy, and the many needed items & the food (of course)! You're all making it happen for these people in need, and I hope your good karma comes back to each of you many times over!
ReplyDeleteYou're all literally "doing unto others" in a biblical way.
And what you're doing is even more important given that the Mayor has abdicated his role almost completely, in a way that ought to make him embarrassed and ashamed.
I hope everyone will remember Eric "LOOK AT ME!!!" Adams's utter failure in this crisis the next time there's a mayoral election.
Can anyone confirm or deny 3:26’s note that donations are not wanted?
ReplyDeleteIt seems we’ve heard both stories, but I’m assuming that donations are now wanted and will be accepted at these drop off windows.
Donations are being taken at the Avenue B office for distribution outside the shelter. The people working at the shelter seem to actively resent the idea of the people in their care getting help (I guess making sure people have SHOES is just making their lives too complicated) and I'm not surprised to hear they're turning away "freelance" donations.
ReplyDelete3:26 did not follow the propee procedure... as it has been clearly stated on Grieve more than once.
ReplyDeleteWhat IS the proper procedure? Could someone pls post it here so that anyone who wants to bring clothes to St Brigid’s knows the best way to get them to people who need them? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteYou can drop off items at 107 Ave B between 10am and 2pm today, Tuesday, June 6. The article says above that "In-demand donations include backpacks, book bags, shoes (especially sneakers and chancletas), laundry detergent, jeans, sweats, T-shirts, shorts, underwear, jackets and sweaters. Also welcome: Blankets and bedding, washcloths and towels, and personal care kits. All for adults; there are no children or infants at this location."
DeleteI left a bag of men’s clothing out front near the tree well, this was after the woman at the door refused it said to give it to the Red Cross. As soon as I walked away people were happily going through it.
ReplyDeleteThis is 3:26 again.
ReplyDelete9:58, your experience corroborates mine -- down to both of us getting referred to give our donations to the "Red Cross." (But in my case, the refugees outside St.Brigid's were completely uninterested in my goodie clothes-bag.)
5:40, as to your point that it's donors' own fault for not following the "proper procedure":
Come on. What's so hard about just letting people drop stuff off at St. Brigid's? No one is asking for a tax receipt or anything bureaucratic enough to need a "proper procedure." Whenever you want to encourage people to give you things for free, make the gifting "procedure" as painless as possible.
But more relevantly, 5:40: The intake team at St.Brigid's is actively steering would-be donors to the "Red Cross." St.Brigid's intake people are NOT raising you gifting-procedure objection.
Explain that.
A thing to keep in mind is that what the folks at the intake center probably don't need at this point are more bags of random second hand clothes. They have asked for specific items, including small size jeans and chancletas, but have probably already had so many bags of random clothing dropped off by well meaning folks already that they are not so interested.
DeleteRemember, these folks do not likely have closets and dressers to store tons of extra clothes that they might need in the future, nor do they have big suitcases to take those clothes wherever they are headed next.
I was was going to drop some perfectly fine clothing over there yesterday, but decided that is easy to do but not necessarily helpful. I think more curated donations would be better.
And yes, it is horrible that the city is not taking better care of these folks, and that the workers are not being more welcoming to those who are trying to help.
"What's so hard about just letting people drop stuff off at St. Brigid's? No one is asking for a tax receipt or anything bureaucratic enough to need a "proper procedure." Whenever you want to encourage people to give you things for free, make the gifting "procedure" as painless as possible."
ReplyDeleteYou seem to be confused. The donation effort at 107 Ave. B (Epstein's office) is entirely independent of the actual shelter operation. In fact, the shelter seems to be doing its best to disrupt outside efforts to provide the shelter residents with basic necessities. It is not Epstein/EV Grieve's fault that the shelter operator is being dickish. If you don't like the fact that they are, I'm sure this is a feeling widely shared among those concerned for the people staying at the shelter, but the last people you should be getting snitty at are the people trying to make sure the shelter residents are being looked after regardless!
Apparently you didn't read the part about the drop off hours/location or the hours were not convenient for you. So you thought you can just work around it as you pleased. I'm sure most of us would have liked a wider range of drop off hours but this is a volunteer effort. You need to respect that.
DeleteI volunteered today and people were able to drop off donations and distribution started around 11am. Thanks to all the volunteers and leadership and kind hearted donors. You guys and gals made it happen ;)))
ReplyDeleteThis is 3:26/12:55
ReplyDeleteSarah, you're right: I was confused. I did not realize the St.Brigid's shelter is completely separate from the donation effort. Thanks for clarifying that. No wonder St. Brigid's sent me to the Red Cross.
Easy peasy drop off at Harvey Epstein's office at 107 Ave B across the street from St.Briget's. Call (212)979-9696 for drop off times (they rely on volunteers to receive and sort - not available 24/7)). They were very helpful and thankful and they seem to be in charge of the sidewalk tables full of goods on East 7th St which was 3 deep of people in need choosing item.
ReplyDeleteIt's not all about you and your experience. Follow the suggested forum and help these people.
I just donated to EVLovesNYC via Venmo so they can give meals, if desired. It sounds like the clothes drop off is a mess.
ReplyDelete