Over two years after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, various Bronx organizations were recognized for answering the call of service during the pandemic’s early days at an event hosted by Councilman Rafael Salamanca (CD 17) at the New York Botanical Garden, while at a separate event, some Redwood trees planted last year were blessed and dedicated to the lives and memories of more than 40 victims of COVID-19.

 

Salamanca honored seven healthcare entities and food distribution companies during a luncheon at The New York Botanical Garden, on Southern Boulevard on Thursday, April 21. The seven honorees were Lincoln Hospital, Urban Health Plan, Baldor Specialty Foods, D’Arrigo New York, Hunts Point Produce Market, NYBG Bronx Community Farm Hub Initiative and the New York Common Pantry.

Recalling those early days, Salamanca told a crowd of invited guests, including several local community boards and officials from several Bronx police precincts, “Our office immediately started receiving calls about food. As I mentioned, the shelves were completely empty.” Salamanca and his staff started reaching out to the 700 businesses in Hunts Point, seeking assistance and he recalled giving away 700 bags of fresh produce to families in need on that very first day.

 

In a heartfelt tribute to the 3,000 staff members at Lincoln Hospital, the councilman said, “You have done wonders. My father was diagnosed with COVID on April 1^st and on April 3^rd, my dad passed away… It was Lincoln Hospital nurses who held my dad’s hands in his final hours, and I just want to say thank you for being there for us, for thousands of New Yorkers.”

 

Salamanca thanked police officers from the 41st, 42^nd and 43rd precincts as well as members of Public Service Area 7, who assisted Salamanca and his team in transporting and distributing tons of food in the days immediately after the mandatory lockdowns.

 

Before introducing keynote speaker, Mayor Eric Adams, Salamanca recalled how he called Adams, who was then Brooklyn borough president, and Adams came to The Bronx with needed face masks. Salamanca said to Adams, “Mr. Mayor, you came through for the borough of The Bronx at a time of need and The Bronx never forgot that.”

 

Adams briefly recalled his youth and how his mother became “more broken” from “the interactions” with city officials, then the unsettling feeling of having to seek help just to feed one’s family.

 

Still speaking of his mother, Adams told the audience, “Because in April, when she transitioned, and I was in the hospital room with her, I said, ‘Mommy I will never forget what you went through’.” He continued, “And the mommies and daddies of today are not going to go through that while I’m the Mayor of the City of New York.”

 

The mayor then thanked the honorees for assisting Bronxites during the worst of times, saying, “I am saying on behalf of them, ‘thank you,’ and one day, because of what you did during COVID, they’re going to stand at a microphone somewhere in their position and reflect on your presence. You planted something inside them, like they planted inside of me.”

 

On April 9, a planting of another sort was the focus of a public gathering at Fort Washington Walk park at University Avenue and Reservoir Avenue in the vicinity of Jerome Park / Kingsbridge Heights. As reported, Marianne Kraft and residents of the local community planned the outdoor memorial event to honor local people who had passed from COVID-19, and were joined on the day by members of Jerome Park Friends and Neighbors and the James Baldwin Outdoor Learning Center (JBOLC). Together, they gathered for a tree and flower memorial ceremony in memory of 40 local residents or friends of local residents who died from COVID-19.

 

Kraft said trees were the perfect symbol to honor those lost, since the coronavirus is a respiratory illness and trees provide oxygen to the planet. Through the process of photosynthesis, leaves pull in carbon dioxide and water and use the energy of the sun to convert this into chemical compounds like sugars that feed the tree. As a by-product of that chemical reaction, oxygen is produced and released by trees.

 

Music was performed by students of the Celia Cruz School of Music, along with poetry recitals, and the event was also attended by local youth from CatRock Ventures.

 

Three Redwood trees were planted last October and since then, Yannelys Tejeda and her children planted flowers near the trees in honor of her children’s grandfather, Marcelino Abreu, who succumbed to COVID-19 at the age of 65.

 

Kraft told the crowd, “We are grateful that you have come to bless these young trees that will be here for many, many years to come to remind us of all the people who have died from COVID, our friends, and our neighbors.” Kraft said that when the trees bloom, they will produce flowers and “heart-shaped” leaves.

 

Deb Travis of Jerome Park Friends and Neighbors told the crowd, “When Marianne approached me, I thought this was just such a wonderful idea, because all of us really have been so strongly touched by COVID, and COVID made us feel like we had to hide inside, right? And it made us feel like our neighbors were far away.” Travis now believes the trees help “make a space where we can come together and to see our friends and to see our neighbors, and to reconnect after this long silence.”

 

During a prayer service, Rev. Joseph Franco said, “We also turn to you with sadness as we remember so many friends who have passed away during the last two years. We are called to remember them, to do something for them and to honor their memory. We do so by dedicating these recently planted trees. Bless them, dear Lord and with them, help us rededicate ourselves to protecting and serving our earth.”

 

The names of 40 Bronxites or friends of Bronxites were then read aloud and members of the crowd were asked to call out the names of people they had known who had died from the virus. Raymond Pultinas, the founder of JBOLC, called out the name of Michael Greene.

 

Days later Pultinas recalled Greene, telling Norwood News, “We worked at DeWitt Clinton together.” He added that he was a “computer tech guy” who also coached a little league team. Pultinas continued, “He was a good friend of mine, because we actually started what eventually became the James Baldwin organization.” Pultinas added that Greene also played a big role at the student newspaper ‘The Clinton News,’ adding, “He was really the force behind student empowerment.”

 

Over one million people have died from COVID-19 in the United States so far and according to Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), the federal government has paid out at least $1.5 billion in funeral costs to Americans for COVID-19 funerals.