![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRhcLbwH5Q2PE4lr9GxDx2ppZ3s5jg9Ox0zjCj-nLSBpPHy5-B9TqdneVEuOzpt84Q_f9NXdESkwxYqCRI2bijThZQQbSa1q2rRDQPL-ZhUtiEc4mTt5TXq0TBrvMuC9HDVKQlbkdHjbU/s400/7.jpg)
Today's shot comes courtesy of East Village-based photographer Josh Charow, who took this down on Rivington Street...
Now it has been five years since we lost our son.
We would like to thank everyone who has been so supportive, especially family and friends who help us to cope with our grief.
Our son was so full of life. All he wanted was to help people in all the ways he could, particularly by listening and being there for them. He would go out of his way to help a friend. It didn't matter what time it was. If you needed someone to talk to, he would be there.
His absence leaves an empty space because he was a motivator. He had a big heart for people and for life. He was smart and you could talk to him about anything. He was such a good listener. His soul is irreplaceable because he showed us there is more to life. He saw good in everyone and wanted to help.
If he were alive today, he would tell people to love life to the fullest. Enjoy every moment. Life is too short. He knew that, and that's why he was so full of life. He would tell us to take this time and be very grateful for your family and friends. And for all that you have.
For those who have been in search of toilet paper, Compare Foods has you covered! A huge supply of all different types of tp. No price gouging either. Also available huge sacks of rice. Store is well stocked with merchandise.
Save Small Business & Small Business Workers. This past week, we had to lay off almost half of our staff and close our two restaurants. As terrible as this has been, we are consoled in knowing that Russ & Daughters will survive and we will bring our folks back as soon as we can.
We have 106 years of perseverance behind us. Russ & Daughters has weathered the 1918 influenza pandemic, wars, depressions, recessions, terrorist attacks and hurricanes. We are grateful that we can continue to make and ship our food out all over the country, providing the essential service of, literally and figuratively, nourishing our customers while everyone stays at home.
This crisis affects us all, but it does not affect us all equally. We must recognize this and help those who are truly struggling. For those of us who still have jobs, we don’t need a check. It’s the people suddenly left without a job who need a check — not a one-time thing, but an every-week thing. State unemployment funds, not large corporations, are what need the stimulus.
We call on our government to make unemployment programs more accessible, expansive and generous. Bolster payments so that they approximate people’s wages. The maximum unemployment benefit in New York State in $504/week. You cannot shelter in place if you cannot pay for that shelter or feed your family. As a small business, we have made unemployment contributions week after week, year after year. Now is the time for those contributions to be paid out and pay out well.
We call on our government to recognize small business for what we are: the lifeblood of our country’s economy. Small businesses generate almost half of all the economic activity in the U.S. We are #toosmalltofail because we are too important. Money that goes to a small business stays within the local community. The same cannot be said for large corporations or chains. Give us the ability to keep our communities going, because that’s all we want to do.
We urge you to call Congress too. — Niki Russ Federman & Josh Russ Tupper, 4th Generation Owners of Russ & Daughters