NYC Mayor Bloomberg’s Ban On Food Donations To Homeless Shelters Still In Effect
Who cares that a severe hurricane ripped through New York City two weeks ago. Who cares that thousands of homeless people in NYC go hungry every day, especially due to overcrowding in shelters. Since last March, Mayor Bloomberg has halted all food donations because the city can’t assess their salt, fat and fiber content. Even during the Hurricane Sandy disaster, he is standing behind his band, because it’s better to assess the content of donated food than to have people starve to death.
Glenn Richter arrived at a West Side synagogue on Monday to collect surplus bagels — fresh nutritious bagels — to donate to the poor. However, under a new edict from Bloomberg’s food police he can no longer donate the food to city homeless shelters. It’s the “no bagels for you” edict. Richter has been collecting food from places like the Ohav Zedek synagogue and bringing it to homeless shelters for more than 20 years, but recently his donation, including a “cholent” or carrot stew, was turned away because the Bloomberg administration wants to monitor the salt, fat and fiber eaten by the homeless. Richter said he was stunned. He said his family has eaten the same food forever and flourished.
The Department of Homeless Services have stood by Bloomberg during his food policing. DHS Commissioner Seth Diamond says the ban on food donations is consistent with Mayor Bloomberg’semphasis on improving nutrition for all New Yorkers. A new interagency document controls what can be served at facilities — dictating serving sizes as well as salt, fat and calorie contents, plus fiber minimums and condiment recommendations.
Do you think the Mayor is correct in limiting food donations to homeless shelters?
The Fuhrer has spoken….
Lord knows that Bloomberg is a million times better than Guiliani in most ways, but he really comes off as a stereotypical big government nanny state sort of politician. I think that being a successful multi-billionaire and politician has given him way too big an ego. Just look at how he almost ran the NYC Marathon, just days after Sandy. He comes off as someone who is so full of himself that he does not listen to anyone. I hope he gets better because overall, I think his heart is in the right place.