Kingsbridge Unidos Join Cranksgiving NYC for Part Bike Ride, Part Food Drive & Part Scavanger Hunt

By SÍLE MOLONEY

KINGSBRIDGE UNIDOS, A mutual aid group, and Cash Cow NYC, a local clothing brand held a Back-to-School and Food Giveaway on Friday, Aug. 12, 2022, at various locations in Kingsbridge and Norwood.
Photo by Miriam Quiñones

Jessica Altagracia Woolford, Kingsbridge Unidos founder and based on the results to date, likely runner-up candidate for the Working Families Party in the recent Nov. 8 general election for Assembly District 81, has advised Norwood News of a food distribution event taking place on Saturday, Nov. 12, in the Kingsbridge neighborhood.

In conjunction with Kingsbridge Unidos, the 6th Annual Bronx Cranksgiving event brings together cyclists to deliver packaged foods and produce to Bronx families. Bronx Cranksgiving is partnering with Kingsbridge Unidos to deliver purchased food products to families experiencing homelessness in the Kingsbridge area.

The event will consist of a food drive on two wheels, part bike ride, part food drive, and part scavenger hunt, and kicked off at 11 a.m. at Brook Park Community Garden, located at 494 E 149th Street in Mott Haven.

Altagracia Woolford said Cranksgiving has been held annually in New York City since 1999 and spin off events have since taken place in other cities around the globe. In 2016, it was held in The Bronx for the first time, and has reportedly supported numerous organizations since then.

Bronx Cranksgiving goes beyond the traditional food drive by actively connecting cyclists with the community and borough. Participants ride through various neighborhoods in search of specific supermarkets, purchasing canned goods and produce listed on a manifest.

This year, Bronx Cranksgiving organizers have partnered with Kingsbridge Unidos which, according to its founders, is a volunteer-run mutual aid group rooted in service and care for the community, to deliver the purchased food items to the families at a transitional housing facility in Kingsbridge.

The kindness of strangers… Two packed lunches and some fruit appeared to have been left for some folks who frequent the park benches along E Mosholu Parkway South and Van Cortlandt Avenue in Bedford Park on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022.
Photo by Síle Moloney

Altagracia Woolford later told Norwood News that food items are going to Broadway Family Plaza, located at 5731 Broadway, in Kingsbridge. “Some of the generous donations from Whisps (a cheese crisps company) also went to the Friendly Fridge ,located at 5977 Broadway (242nd Street and Broadway), RNH Fridge, and Mt St Vincent’s Fridge, as well,” she said.

As reported, Kingsbridge Unidos recently organized a back-to-school supplies and food giveaway on Aug. 12, in conjunction with Cash Cow NYC.

Kingsbridge Heights Community Center (KHCC), located at 3101 Kingsbridge Terrace, Summit Place, Bronx 10463, operates a regular food pantry from 11 a.m. to noon for older adults, and from noon to 2.30 p.m. for the general public on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Margaret Della, chief executive officer, said, “The center fights for funding to address and eradicate long term food instability in The Bronx. Members of the public can visit info@khcc-nyc.org for general information.”

KHCC also collaborates with the Northwest Bronx Food Justice Project to share information with the public on where community members can access food as well as nutrition education. The Northwest Bronx Food Justice Project – Emergency Food Resources operates at KHCC weekly on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from noon to 2.30 p.m. For more information, go to: https://www.khcc-nyc.org/program/food-pantry, or email Will Littleton at wlittleton@khcc-nyc.org.

Other food options are Bailey Fridge at 3016 Bailey Avenue, and the Friendly Fridge at 5977 Broadway (242nd Street and Broadway). Contact: thefriendlyfridgebx@gmail.com. For more information on the NW Bronx Food Justice project, contact foodjusticebronx@gmail.com.

Norwood News previously reported on the concept of neighborhood fridges to help people experiencing homeless, and which appeared to gain more traction amid the pandemic.

In recent months, we have also seen evidence of seemingly regular people leaving pre-packaged sandwiches on park benches for those who need them in the Bedford Park neighborhood.

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.