April 30, 2008

Even Though There Are No More Pushcarts …

If you live in New York or the metropolitan area, you know that the Lower East Side of Manhattan is undergoing tremendous change as the area is gentrified and becomes the new "hot spot" for clubs and nightlife.

Despite the changes, tucked away on Grand Street where many of our relatives probably worked or lived, is Project Ezra (http://www.projectezra.org) …a fine, fine agency that provides many life-saving services for the remaining elders living nearby. Dalia Abbot, one of Project Ezra’s social workers was in touch today…she asked if it would be possible for us to help provide funds to purchase supermarket scrip for some of the more vulnerable elders who can barely make it through the month with their meager income. The nice thing about this program is that the small local stores, which are where most of the elders shop because it is in the neighborhood, work with Project Ezra to facilitate the project. Each elder who qualifies (and there are many who qualify but do not receive because of limited funding) receives a monthly allowance of $30 or $360 yearly. It doesn’t seem like a lot of money-particularly when you know what food costs are these days, but Dalia tells me that it really does make a difference for them. We’re going to help twelve elders with their food needs right now and hopefully will be able to do even more some time down the road…