Today, First Corinthian Baptist Church, New York State Senator Brian Benjamin, and District Council 9 donated grocery packages to 2,000 families in addition to care packages, hot meals and essential items at its Hope for Harlem Event. The proceeds at the event provided thousands of Harlem families with essential items and services including mental health resources and job recruitment information.
The Hope for Harlem initiative seeks to feed the mind, body, and soul of Harlem’s residents.
The Hope for Harlem initiative seeks to feed the mind, body, and soul of Harlem’s residents. It provides a model for what we can accomplish when community organizations, faith-based institutions, political leaders, and businesses come together to protect and serve our neighbors.
While the goal of Hope for Harlem was to provide care packages, school supplies and hot meals to the Harlem community, the organizations also registered individuals to vote and complete the census.
While the goal of Hope for Harlem was to provide care packages, school supplies and hot meals to the Harlem community, the organizations also registered individuals to vote and complete the census. Now more than ever, Harlem residents must make their voices heard – and the Hope for Harlem event worked to ensure this through voter registration.
“We are strongest when we come together in times of adversity, demonstrating the importance of the very community that continues to keep Harlem alive,”
“We are strongest when we come together in times of adversity, demonstrating the importance of the very community that continues to keep Harlem alive,” said Heaven Berhane, Pastor of Programming & Community Engagement. “At FCBC, we recognize that this movement is bigger than us. So, it is truly an honor to amplify our efforts with District Council 9 and State Senator Brian Benjamin and give back to the community that has guided our purpose for years. A special thank you for their continued leadership in making sure that the people of New York are not only taken care of, but also feel seen and heard.”
“It is heartening to see the New York Community rally around each other and support our most vulnerable residents. Harlem is resilient, and we will make it through this difficult time together. Thank you to District Council 9 and First Corinthian Baptist Church for always stepping up to provide important resources—including voter registration and 2020 Census information—for communities in need,” said New York State Senator Brian Benjamin.
“District Council 9 is grateful to have the opportunity to give back to Harlem as our communities continue to struggle with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic,”
“District Council 9 is grateful to have the opportunity to give back to Harlem as our communities continue to struggle with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Joseph Azzopardi, BM/ST of District Council 9. “Harlem is home to a number of essential workers who themselves provide crucial services for their neighborhood. The Hope for Harlem event, in partnership with First Corinthian Baptist Church and NYS Senator Brian Benjamin, has allowed us to show our appreciation for their hard work and help them as much as possible during these unprecedented times.”
Sponsors of the event included Monadnock Construction, a Brooklyn-based general contracting, construction management, and real estate development company; the Hope Center, a non-profit focused on mental health services; St. John the Divine, the Cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of New York; Fresh Direct, an online grocery shopping service; Produce Depot USA, a delivery service for quality food products; and other New York-based unions, such as the NYC District Council of Carpenters, CCA Metro, LiUNA NY and Greater New York LECET.
The Church is focused on providing a sanctuary for Harlem’s residents in the forms of the art, theater, and music, as well as providing resources to its members for leadership development, economic empowerment, and mental health support.
First Corinthian Baptist Church (FCBC), located in Harlem, was first organized in 1933. FCBC is an ever-evolving community of visionaries, dreamers, and doers who have been called by God to live the lives they were created to live; commanded by God to love beyond the limits of our prejudices and commissioned by God to serve. The Church is focused on providing a sanctuary for Harlem’s residents in the forms of the art, theater, and music, as well as providing resources to its members for leadership development, economic empowerment, and mental health support.
New York State Senator Brian Benjamin represents the 30th District, composed of Harlem, East Harlem, the Upper West Side, Washington Heights, Hamilton Heights, and Morningside Heights.
District Council 9 is a chapter of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, an organization of painters, decorators, wall coverers, drywall finishers, sign painters, metal polishers, bridge & structural steel painters, civil service painters, lead abatement workers, glaziers & architectural metal glassworkers, paint makers and allied trades. The International Union of Painters and Allied Trades is dedicated to securing and improving wages, benefits, and overall working conditions for its members.
For more information on DC 9’s continuing efforts to provide pathways to the middle class for New York’s residents visit www.districtcouncil9.net or on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Photo credit: Hope for Harlem volunteers from First Corinthian Baptist Church, Senator Brian Benjamin’s Office and DC 9 preparing grocery and care packages for Harlem families.
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