Community fridge comes to Herkimer Street

 By Liberty Darr

The community fridge movement is one that is sweeping the nation and has now made its way to the West Side.

Buffalo received its first community fridge at 257 East Ferry St.  over a year ago that has since grown into more than just a fridge, but rather a community necessity. This was a great way to encourage the City of Good Neighbors mentality that has now grown into the West Side with the opening of a community fridge at 167 Herkimer St., known as Big Herk Fridge.

Big Herk Fridge

      This movement encourages community activism while also aiding in food scarcity around the globe. The main goal of the fridge is to help those facing nutritional insecurity by providing easy and 24/7 access to free, fresh, and nutritious food. The fridge is accessible to take what you need, but also leave what you don’t. This way of community involvement goes far beyond just donating monetary funds to already existing food agencies. This citizen-led initiative is shown to result in a more engaged and caring city.

Buffalo joins nearly 200 other fridges across the United States, and more around the globe, according to Freedge, a network of resources and information for community fridge owners around the globe.

Lourdes Vera, owner of the Big Herk Fridge, first heard about community fridges while living in Brooklyn from an organization called In Our Hearts that was taking the community fridge movement to a whole new level.

Upon moving back to the West Side during the COVID-19 pandemic, Vera knew that her community would benefit from a community fridge.

“I had an old refrigerator, and I asked my landlord if I could put it up. Luckily, my porch had an outlet right outside, so it was pretty easy,” Vera said. “I have always been really into food justice. I just love the mutual aid aspect of the community fridge. Once I put the fridge up, I was so surprised that I immediately had volunteers.”

While a lot of volunteers made their way from the East Side fridge, there were many who had utilized Instagram  to find the fridge.

 “We live in a society that is so alienated, especially with the pandemic,” Vera said. “There are so many people who speak so many different languages, and the community fridge helps people to cross those barriers and meet neighbors in a safe way.”

While volunteers do a multitude of things like helping to clear out the fridge and organizing what is inside, volunteers also are those that drop off the food and make donations. Volunteer Emilia Fanelli was able to shed some light on what volunteering looks like for her.

“While I have volunteered for different organizations in the past, the community fridge is one that is easy and makes a world of difference,” Fanelli said. “Every time I go to the grocery store to shop for the week, I buy one or two things to donate to the fridge. It’s really that simple.”

 

 

 

 

Crime up for debate in Elmwood Village

Buffalo OpenData Portal chart

  By Rhiannon Browning 

            Questions have arisen in the Elmwood Village as to whether crime has increased over the past year. One thing for certain is that the residents are voicing their strong disagreements among each other through social media.

            A private Facebook group called The Residents of the Elmwood Village has around 1,200 members, all who live within the village limits. Among those members are people who believe that recent carjackings, armed robberies and break-ins around Elmwood Avenue mean that crime is on the rise.

            Longtime resident of Cleveburn Place Avenue and a member of the Elmwood Facebook group Joe Todaro said he wants to hear more updates on the recent criminal activity in the area.

            “While I don’t feel unsafe, this is the least safe I’ve felt,” Todaro said.

            Others are aware of these recent offenses, but rather than an uptick in crime, they think this is common every year and more people are just noticing it now.

           “In my opinion, there’s an unreasonable climate of fear,” said Courtney Friedline, a resident of Lancaster Avenue and Facebook group member.     

            Both the B-District and D-District of the Buffalo Police Department, which both cover areas of the Elmwood Village, held monthly meetings the past two months that addressed residents’ concerns on crime in the area.

            During the D-District monthly meeting on Feb. 3, Chief Joe Fahey provided statistics dating back from 2015 that showed crime hasn’t increased since that year. Buffalo’s D-District consists of the Black Rock neighborhood, Elmwood Village and North Buffalo.

            Much like the D-District, the B-District held a meeting on Feb. 15 that came to the same conclusion. This district includes areas of Allentown, downtown and Elmwood Village. District Chief Dawn Kent assured Elmwood  Village residents who attended that she is given daily reports that show trends through months and years. In these data reports, she found that crime has actually decreased steadily over time.

            Although the data show crime is not necessarily on the rise in the Elmwood Village, some locals still fear walking about the streets more than they used to.

            On Elmwood Avenue, Rustbelt Barbering and Salon Co. had two break-ins over the span of two weeks. Both the owner and his wife received donations from supporters all over Buffalo.

Broken door at Rustbelt Barbering

            Michelle Wilczewski lives around the corner from a recent stabbing that happened on the corner of West Ferry Street and Elmwood Avenue in the middle of the day. The authorities said it appeared to be a random act of violence.

            “I have never felt unsafe here until recently,” Wilczewski said. “I have to walk at least a block from my car to my apartment. My head is constantly on a swivel. If I see someone on the same side of the street as me, I cross over.”

            Lately, more police have been patrolling the area on foot after numerous complaints from residents. Wilczewski says that she expected more officers and longer shifts.

            Ceclia Johnson, a resident of the Elmwood Village who has attended multiple city council meetings, feels that a decrease in poverty is a better strategy in decreasing the recent upheaval in crime, rather than a greater police presence.

            “You don’t reduce crime with more police. You reduce crime by reducing poverty,” she said. “We’re going on a year of this pandemic and people are hurting. We have had little to no help from our government, which has just made already unequal conditions even worse.”

            Like Johnson, Friedline believes there is no proof for a decrease in crime from an increase in police. She encourages anyone in the Elmwood area to turn to the Partnership for the Public Good’s website. The partnership is a community-based operation that provides local research and data on topics like poverty, racism and issues on local policing in the area.

            “Our city is the third poorest of its size in the country. We do not have the resources we need,” Friedline said.

 

 

W.S. Community Services endures in pandemic

 By Hannah Turnbull

            Employees of the West Side Community Services Center were in disbelief when the center closed its doors in March. As COVID-19 cases rose, many organizations and businesses were forced to shut down. Despite change and adversity, the center has continued to serve the community in the midst of a pandemic.

        “At the start of COVID we thought community centers would stay open. We were shocked when we closed down alongside Buffalo Public Schools,” Halimah McBryde said.

            McBryde is a program aide at the center, mainly working with school-age children and teens. 

            For nearly 50 years the center has operated on the West Side offering a variety of programs to residents. The center, 161 Vermont St., aims to support and connect with people of all ages in the community. The center offers education, arts, wellness, and prevention programs to children, teens, adults, senior citizens, and families.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the center was bustling with people and daily activities. The center runs a youth program for ages 5-13 and a teen program for ages 14-21. A senior program is available to adults 65 and older. Each program is organized and implemented based on needs and age.

            When the center physically closed in March, adjustments had to be made to keep these programs available. The staff continued to provide mentorship and tutoring through virtual platforms like Zoom and FaceTime.

            Home visits, social distance style, were provided to members of the community in need of extra services. For the senior program, daily phone calls are made to each member.

            Rene Bonilla, a Say Yes teacher at the center, provided insight on the members of the center.

            “A lot of our youth and teens are English learners so there’s a language barrier there. That barrier became more complicated when we switched to virtual assistance,” Bonilla said. “There’s a technology gap. Many families do not have internet access at home so it was difficult to reach those kids and teens.”

            One of the most important services the center offers is providing a daily hot meal to children and teens. The challenges derived from the pandemic made this hot meal even more crucial to families. The staff was able to find a way to deliver a meal to each child every day at dinner time.

            “It’s tough on the kids and the seniors especially. Our services weren’t meant to be virtual, especially when internet and computers are a luxury,” Ian Morrision, a program aide, said. “Parents have always relied on us for childcare. There’s definitely added stress on them to connect with us virtually.”

            The center was able to reopen in June, adhering to all social distancing guidelines. It has remained open since and plans to keep moving forward with the programs and services.

            In the future, the center hopes to partner with a food pantry to provide three hot meals a day to children instead of just one.

            The center has provided resources to become a member, become a volunteer, and make donations on its website.

Work continues on Hispanic Heritage center

Proposed Hispanic Cultural Center

By Jacob Fries 

  Undeterred by the COVID-19 pandemic, those at the Hispanic Heritage Council of Western New York is still forging ahead with their long-term goals, particularly in the construction of the Hispanic Heritage Cultural Institute on the West Side. 

The council has recently started environmental surveys for a site where they hope to build the center and are currently raising funds for it. The Cultural Institute, which is to be planned for development on the corner of Niagara and Hudson streets would be the first building of its kind in Western New York, and one that could be culturally indispensable for the West Side once it’s completed. 

While the project is still in its fundraising phase, members of the Hispanic Heritage Council feel proud about the funds they’ve raised already from the City of Buffalo, Erie County, and other corporate donations, and feel confident they will be able to raise more of what they will need for the $10 million project. Casimiro Rodriguez, past-president of the Hispanic Heritage Council, is optimistic about their current efforts.

 “We’ve got support from government, private, and public officials. We’ve got really good grassroots support,” Casimiro said. “We have consultants working on the business sustainability plan. We have architects working on the conceptual drawings of the facility, inside and out. We’ve got a team of folks working to make sure that this becomes a reality.”

Manny Lezama, the capital campaign chairperson of the Hispanic Heritage Council, believes that the Institute, once completed, will be a place where people of all ages will be able to be educated and entertained.
       “We have a place where people can actually go,” Lezama said, “and not just young-adults. We have seniors, we have veterans who can go over there and utilize that center to better themselves in many ways.”

The building is intended to be environmentally conscious, and some of its interior spaces proposed will include a museum, an art gallery, a café, a gift shop, a performing arts theater, activity space, learning labs, and even television and radio stations. The Hispanic Cultural Council also made great care to thematically time the opening of the institute to be during Hispanic Heritage month in 2022, which takes place from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15.

The decision to build the institute on the West Side was also strongly taken into account, due to its diverse cultural demographics, as well as its proximity to the U.S.-Canada border. While the institute would largely be showcasing Hispanic and Latin cultures, the council is aiming to make it a place where people of all cultures can feel welcome. Buffalo Councilman David A Rivera is optimistic about this notion.
            “It’s a cultural center where people can go, not only for my community but they’re opening up to other communities as well on the city’s West Side,” Councilman Rivera said.
            Rodriguez also emphasized that an institute such as this would be critical in being able to tell Hispanic history for years to come.
            “Every day is a new day for history in our community, and we don’t want to lose any of that,” Casimiro said.

The city of Buffalo has always been able to be enhanced through multiculturalism, and this proposed institute looks to be a reminder that we all have histories that we can be proud of, and they make our communities and ourselves better as a whole.

Salvation Army, Red Cross seeking donations

By Julia Kavanagh

            Since the start of the pandemic, we have seen people lose their jobs left and right, leaving people and their families with little to no income. What this means is they might not be able to afford the simple needs such as food, water, and clothing. Organizations like the Salvation Army here on the West Side can give families a little relief.

            “Our work has significantly increased and become much more difficult since the start of the pandemic. The need in the community has significantly increased,” said Laurie Krajna, development director. “The need for food has increased six times what we usually distribute.”

            Having an organization like the Salvation Army also heavily depends on the support of the local community. If people were to simply stop donating food and clothes, for example, people who rely on that center would be in trouble.

            “We partnered with FeedMore WNY to take food to the communities most in need, setting up a drive-thru type system where cars pulled up, popped their trunk, and we’d load bags of food,” Krajna said.  

            Besides seeing an increase demand for in necessary items, the center has a workforce development group that is, Krajna said, seeing an uptick in clients needing updated resumes, high school equivalency classes and specific training.

            “Funds and financial support are needed more than ever,” Krajna said.

            If that isn’t hard enough, it’s almost December, which means a busy Christmas season for the Salvation Army. Many children look forward to Christmas because of all the toys they get to play with. Many kids face the fact that they might not be getting anything because their family simply can’t afford to. 

            “This Christmas we are preparing to serve 1,000 families with needed toys for their children,” Krajna said.

            The American Red Cross on the West Side has also been busy keeping up with the demand of COVID-19. Though they are a donation center for blood and plasma, their mission of supplying donated blood does not stop because of a pandemic.

            “We support collection and distribution of convalescent from individuals who are fully recovered from COVID-19 to help with treatment for the most seriously ill patients,” said Katie Potter, external communications manager at American Red Cross.

Farms find high demand for their harvests during COVID

By Rosemary Gonzalez

            Due to raising COVID-19 cases,  Gov. Andrew Cuomo had announced a restaurant restriction that requires all restaurants to close at 10 p.m. With this second wave many businesses must continue to adapt to this new way of life, until things get back to normal. However, a business that seems to thrive is the farming business.

Courtesy WestSide Tilth

         Jeanette Koncikowski , executive director of  Grassroots Gardens said Grassroots is one of the few businesses that has been very fortune during this time. Grassroots Gardens, is an organization with over 100 gardens focusing on land conservation and providing agricultural needs in places where food is scarce in Buffalo and Niagara Falls

            “We saw an increase in demand and we stayed open,” Koncikowski  said. “People were very interested in gardening and worried about food this year.”

            With supermarkets also closing early, farms are selling directly to consumers. Yet, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), farm businesses have experienced difficulties in production due to the labor shortages and lack of resources.  

            Before COVID-19, “consumer spending on food in the United States had been remarkably stable, growing by around 4 % over the previous five years,” according to  Mckinsey & Company a management consulting company that advises on strategic management to corporations, governments, and other organizations.

            “Total sales were roughly split evenly between retail outlets, such as grocery stores and supermarkets and food-service companies, such as restaurants, hospitals, and schools,” according to McKinsey.

            Now there is a decrease in people going to restaurants, as people are stocking up on groceries and eating at home, increasing revenue for grocery stores the month by 29% over the previous year whereas, sales plummeted at restaurants, fast-food locations, coffee shops, and casual-dining locations by 27%, according to McKinsey.

            Carrie Nader, the owner of WestSide Tilth Farm, said she has experienced a decline with restaurant orders.

            “Restaurant sales were almost non-existent this season,” Nader said.

             Nader had to postpone plans for WestSide Tilth.

            “We were unable to establish a farmer’s market, as planned for 2020. This is something we will move forward with in 2021” Nader said.  “We’ll include local vendors and strive for our market to be a one stop shop for folks, ensuring we make all of the essentials available. We’ll also feature our artisan pizzas and local artists.”

            There have been a lot of obstacles worldwide and the agricultural business is not excused.

            According to The New York Farm Bureau, farms may temporarily lose employees due to COVID-19, as they may have to quarantine and recover. New York’s largest farm organization is looking for “willing and able people to become potential employees” through a Farmers Relief Program.  

            Grassroots Gardens also implemented a program in response to the COVID-19.

             “The Freedom Gardens initiative, founded by long--time Grassroots Gardener, Ms. Gail Wells, is designed to inspire resilience and independence for Buffalo residents most impacted by coronavirus,” according to the website.

            “Freedom Gardens unlike the community gardens where people go and share a plot of land, Freedom Gardens brings the garden to people’s homes,” Koncikowski said. “We together built and delivered 50 home gardens to people during the pandemic for free, so that if they wanted to grow food at home they could safely do so.”

            Koncikowski  said that people cannot directly grow food in their backyard in the city of Buffalo because of the risk of lead contamination.

             “It was important to be able to give people raised beds and clean soil that we brought in that was organic, so that they didn't have to worry about contaminating any food they were growing at home,” Koncikowski  said.

            Another community garden, Explore and More Rooftop Garden, which sits on the rooftop of Explore & More Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Children’s Museum faced some obstacles during this pandemic.

            “We have been able to incorporate some of that stuff that we grow into our programs” Rebecca Glon, museum tech specialist, said.  “We had plans on using the garden to help educate kids about responsible farming, but because of 2020 reasons we weren't able to do that.”

            Koncikowski said the need for healthy, free, fresh produce is “critical.”

             “Food is a human right,” she said, “and you shouldn't have to worry about where your next meal is going to come from.”

 

 

Bars dealing with orange zone designation

By Johnathan Ciolek

            With COVID numbers on the rise, bar owners have realized that the leaves are not the only things changing colors right now.

            On Nov. 18, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced stricter restrictions as part of Erie County was moved to an orange zone.

            In an orange zone designation, residential and nonresidential gatherings are limited to 10 people. When it comes to restaurants and bars, only outdoor dining with four people per table, takeout, and delivery are available.  All high-risk, non-essential businesses, such as gyms, hair salons, and personal care services located in an orange zone are to close.

            Bobby Rhab, owner of Mister Goodbar, 1110 Elmwood Ave., said he feels COVID-19 is a very serious issue and needs to be treated that way.

Mister Goodbar owner says "be smart, stay safe."

      “COVID numbers are real. The people that are affected by this virus are real,” Rhab said. “We are fully committed and compliant with all New York State regulations. We will continue to comply until we are allowed to safely reopen.” 

               According to the New York Department of Health, Erie County currently has a little over 25,000 confirmed cases. On the West Side of Buffalo alone, there are almost 1,500 confirmed cases.

            These high case numbers are problematic for any business trying to operate. Rhab said that this is not easy for anyone right now.

            “We want to be part of the solution and not the problem,” Rhab said. “Times are difficult for all of us in the city, state, and country. The only way to get through this is to be smart and stay safe.”

            Other places, such as Forty Thieves Kitchen & Bar, 727 Elmwood Ave., are attempting to still operate safely by launching new takeout hours and delivery options through DoorDash and GrubHub.

            Tommy Cowan, owner of Forty Thieves Kitchen & Bar, thinks that it’s best to limit the time interaction with customers.

            “We have just launched new takeout hours from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday through Saturday,” Cowan said. “We just need to be smart about this entire situation and this is one way we can do that.”

            According to MarketWatch, delivery services, such as UberEats, DoorDash, GrubHub, and Postmates, brought in about $5.5 billion in combined revenue in the months of April through September. This is more than double what these companies made during the same period the previous year.

            With the Erie County daily positive rate near 10 percent and 8 percent in Western New York, the switch to a red zone could become a reality.

            New restrictions for a red zone designation would prohibit any type of mass gathering, whether it be residential or nonresidential. Also, only essential businesses would be open. This means for any bars and restaurants offering outdoor dining, the switch to strictly takeout and delivery will need to be made if possible.