WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 2025
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Dear New Yorkers,
Every weekday, the Food Bank for New York City receives about 50 to 75 truckloads of fresh produce, meats, seafood, dairy products and canned goods from around the country at its vast warehouse in The Bronx.
It then sorts, repacks and redistributes that food to more than 1,000 pantries, schools, churches and community centers — cycling through roughly 3 million pounds of goods a month.
“Believe it or not, managing a food bank is much harder than managing a deployment,” said associate director of operations Ron Olaizola. Before working at the Food Bank, Olaizola had been a reservist for the Air Force providing humanitarian aid for Syrian and Gazan refugees.
But feeding the hungry is about to get much harder.
Executives for the Food Bank for New York City said 2.5 million pounds of food that was supposed to arrive at their warehouse from The U.S. Department of Agriculture in May and June has been put on an indefinite pause. That stop comes as the Trump istration is reviewing congressionally approved funding for the Emergency Food Assistance Program — which sends tens of millions of dollars to New York State and s for nearly two-thirds of the Food Bank’s inventory.
Read more here about how federal cuts are forcing food banks to tighten their belts.
Weather ☀️
Temps will reach the high 40s by afternoon, but there’s a freeze warning in place through 9 a.m. The ball’s in your court, Staten Island Chuck!
MTA 🚇
There’s no L train overnight (from 11:15 p.m. to 5 a.m.) between Lorimer Street, Brooklyn and 8 Ave, Manhattan. Find all the MTA’s planned changes and the latest delays here.
Alternate side parking 🚙
It’s in effect today, April 9.
By the way…
Don’t let the cold fool you: it’s almost air conditioner season. Depending on your income level, you may be able to get one for free — applications open next week.
Our Other Top Stories
- Nineteen Manhattan elected officials are urging Mayor Eric Adams to put bidding to run Manhattan’s Wollman Rink on ice, after THE CITY revealed that City Hall snubbed a $120 million gift from the Central Park Conservancy for upgrades. What they don’t mention: The Trump Organization, President Donald Trump’s family business, is in the running to operate the rink, which it ran for years before the city terminated the deal after the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol.
- The Adams istration signed an executive order Tuesday allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement to reestablish an office on Rikers Island — rolling back a provision of the city’s sanctuary protections that had been on the books for more than a decade.
- A Brooklyn judge dismissed the assault charges against Councilmember Susan Zhuang, the southern Brooklyn Democrat who bit a police officer in a scuffle in her district against a proposed homeless shelter last summer, after Zhuang and the officer went through a restorative justice process. Zhuang’s lawyer said that she understood “the harm she caused,” and that she and the officer agreed they were both “ready to move forward.”
- Our birthday raffle is still going strong: every new sign up for The Scoop has a chance of winning a shiny new THE CITY mug. Tell a friend to subscribe — and if their mug mysteriously disappears, we won’t say a thing.
Reporter’s Notebook
Mayor Sports Money Motto T-Shirt
Mayor Eric Adams began his weekly press conference praising God for helping him get through the last 15 months, donning an “In God We Trust” t-shirt with an American flag to underscore his zeal.
“I will say it, I will bless the Lord at all times, his words of praise will continuously be in my mouth, and I’m standing in front of you because of my faith,” he said.
The newly independent and indictment-free mayor also avoided any criticism of President Donald Trump, even as the city plans to sue to stop the White House from clawing back nearly $200 million meant to aid asylum seekers.
“If you’re angry over $200 million, why aren’t you infuriated over $7 billion?” he reiterated, referring to money he’d asked the previous istration for to cover spending on migrants.
He also claimed New York is benefiting from his cozy relationship with the Trump istration, noting how he brought U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy to ride the subway: “I don’t want a verbal war. I want to be able to produce for our city,” he said.
— Katie Honan
Things To Do
Here are some free and low-cost things to do around the city this week.
- Wednesday, April 9: a knitting circle at the Pelham Bay Library in The Bronx. Registration is required — call the library to sign up. 1 p.m.
- Wednesday, April 9: BYOB (Bring Your Own Book) to the Lofty Pigeon book store in Brooklyn for Hush Hour, a silent book club. Read for an hour, and then chat with other book lovers. 6 p.m.
- Wednesday, April 9: If you’re a woman or femme-presenting person and want to learn building and construction basics, get hands-on experience and guidance with this course. Myrtle Village Green Community Garden in Brooklyn, 5 p.m.
THE KICKER: How would you prevent subway surfing? High school students can explain their strategy in an essay-writing contest hosted by the NYPD and get the chance to win $500.
Thanks, as always, for reading. Make it a great Wednesday.
Love,
THE CITY
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