Brooklyn Soup Kitchen Works to Combat Hunger During Coronavirus Shutdowns

Tags: Currents Brooklyn, NY, Coronavirus, Crux, Food, Hunger, Inspiration, National News, New York, New York City, New York News, Queens, NY

By Tim Harfmann

Boxes and boxes of food are pouring into one Brooklyn soup kitchen, thanks to good samaritans.

Denise Scaravella is the executive director of “Community Help in Park Slope,” known as “CHiPS.”

“We have donations coming every single day, all day long,” she explained, noting that the organization is becoming a hot spot for a hot meal because other places are forced to close because of the coronavirus pandemic.  

“Yesterday, bars and restaurants came and brought me food, and they brought me eggs, and they brought cooked food, and brought food that was marinated that needed to be cooked,” she added. “I mean, we just got so much!”

A small group of volunteers are also chipping in, making pork platters with rice and broccoli.

They’re also handing out fresh fruit and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, too.

Seventy-five-year-old Maxine Sampson is determined to do her part through CHiPS.  

“The poor must be fed,” she exclaimed. 

CHiPS has cut back on their hours, but they’re still handing out hundreds of meals daily.

The line for a to-go dish stretches around the block. 

Fifty-two-year-old “Fox” said the generous donations are a godsend.

“It feels good. It’s a blessing. It really is,” he explained. “A lot of people appreciate it, too.”

Thanks to CHiPS, he’s able to catch a break during the outbreak.

“It kinda gets rough being hungry sometimes, you know? Just one meal a day makes all the difference in the world,” he said. 

“I can’t imagine where will these people that come here and rely on us day in and day out, where will they go?” asked Denise. 

She said that as long as food keeps coming in, CHiPS will keep handing it out.